Bleach: Creatures of the Night
by Rabukurafuto
Summary: Rangiku must take care of a mysterious girl who holds the key to the Soul Society's destruction, and Orihime is targeted by a dark force. They will face terrible danger, new love, and difficult choices. Rangiku/O.C. Orihime/O.C. Girls love. Complete.
1. South of Heaven

**BLEACH 暗黒の神話**

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night_**

* * *

_I do not own _Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo, _Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**1. サウス・オブ・ヘヴン**

**1. South of Heaven**

María didn't how long she'd been running. Hours? Days? It didn't matter—all that mattered was that she'd gotten away from the others alive.

Gotten away from _her_.

No matter how hard she ran, how much she moved, the featureless waste of Hueco Mundo still stretched in all directions as far as the eye could see. Her normally lustrous hair fluttered limply as she moved forward. María felt grimy and wanted a bath, but she couldn't stop now, not when she still had a chance of being caught. She didn't even want to think about what they would do to her if they caught her. Better to be eaten by an irate menos grande than to face the wrath of the ones she left behind.

María's foot slipped in the sand, sending her crashing heavily on her stomach. She lay sprawled out, gasping for breath. Fatigue finally caught up with her and her limbs felt like lead. Fenmuji was at her side, still attached to her sash. The heidushuijing rolled out of her hand, stopping a few centimeters away from her face. It glinted coldly in the moonlight. The evil thing was the whole reason she had been running in the first place.

She didn't want to move anymore. Maybe it was better this way, just waiting for death to come and claim her. Sooner or later a hungry hollow would stumble across her and put her out of her misery. María hoped that time would come sooner than later. An inglorious way to die to be sure, but it was better than the alternative. Her eyes began to close…

_María…María…_

Her eyes snapped open, fear griping her heart. "_No,_" she groaned.

_María…We're coming for you, María…_

She hand shot forward, fingers closing around the heidushuijing. María struggled to her feet and clutched the heidushuijing to her chest. Even after holding it for so long the accursed object was still cool to the touch. She couldn't stay there; no matter where in Hueco Mundo she went she wouldn't be safe.

But outside Hueco Mundo?

* * *

"At last, some time to myself," Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto of the 10th Division sighed happily as she laid down to rest on the couch. With that whole bount business cleared up she could go back to doing the things she loved, like drinking and taking naps. It was fun visiting the World of the Living though, and she hoped she would get another chance to see it. It was always nice seeing her new friends.

She lazily reached over to the bottle of sake on the table without looking. It didn't feel right when she lifted it though. A glance at the bottle told her it was empty. _Not a drop left,_ she thought.

Rangiku got up and dredged over to the sake cabinet, only to find that it was empty. Her memory took that moment to remind her that she needed to get some more sake. Grumbling, she turned around and walked outside.

It was a beautiful day, Rangiku had to admit. The sun was shining and the blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds. Maybe a walk outside would be nice. Better yet though would be a nice drink in the sun! A nap afterwards would really hit the spot too. It really was a nice day!

But first she needed to get more sake.

Rangiku was about to leave when she heard a peculiar noise off to the side. It was like the sound of…teeth grinding. It was the only way she could really explain it. She looked to her right; it was like a mouth was opening in the air itself a few meters away. A gaping maw just tore itself in the air with a swirling blackness beyond. Rangiku stepped back, startled. She grabbed Haineko, ready to fight if need be.

_Did a hollow somehow make its way here?_ she wondered.

To here astonishment, a girl emerged from the maw. A slim dark-haired teenager in a yellow robe. The mouth closed behind her with the same awful grinding noise as before.

The girl stumbled out, looking bewildered. Her eyes were wide and had dark circles beneath them. Her short hair was tangled and dirty. She clutched something in her right hand, which was shaking badly. A sword hung at the girl's side from a yellow sash.

"Erm…" Rangiku said. The girl quickly swiveled around to face her, staring at Rangiku with those wide eyes. Rangiku recoiled; the stranger looked like a reanimated corpse. The girl lurched toward her and thrust out her left arm, hand outstretched to Rangiku. "_Help me,_" the girl wheezed, taking another step forward. "_Please…_"

The girl's eyelids fluttered and her arm dropped. She stood there for a moment, then toppled forward. Rangiku gasped, catching her before she hit the floor. The girl's face landed directly in the middle of Rangiku's generous bosom.

_Good thing these things make great cushions,_ she thought.

Rangiku stood there, an unconscious girl lying face-first in her cleavage. What was she supposed to do? She did the first thing that popped into her head, and slung the girl over her shoulder and took her inside 10th Division headquarters. Rangiku gently laid the girl on the couch and sat down on the floor. Questions filled her mind. _Who is this girl? How did she get here? What am I supposed to do with her? What am I gonna say to Captain Hitsugaya?_

Rangiku looked at the sleeping girl. With a bath and some rest she guessed the girl would look quite pretty.

A sharp sound startled Rangiku out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw a crystalline black cylinder about thirteen centimeters long laying on the floor. Rangiku picked it up for examination. The crystal was as black as obsidian, and light was reflected off the surface in a way that somehow seemed wrong to her. She didn't know why; it just didn't look right.

_She was holding something earlier,_ she thought and glanced at the girl's hands. Sure enough, they were now empty.

* * *

María was running again. This time someone was right behind her. María didn't dare look back because if she did she would be caught and suffer a fate worse than death. So she kept running. She had to get away, had to _escape_. But no matter how fast and hard she ran someone stayed right behind her.

_María…_that sweet, evil voice sang. _Come back María. Come back and accept your punishment like a good girl. _

The ground turned to mud beneath her feet. She couldn't run any more. She was slowly sinking. María cried for help, but it was too late. The only one to hear her was her pursuer. A dark shape towered over her, leering down at her with mocking violet eyes. The figure drew its zanpakutou and brought it down on her head. María screamed.

* * *

María thrashed about, screaming in terror. "_Get away from me!_" she cried.

"No!" a voice called back. Hands gently but firmly took her arms and restrained her. "It's okay! Everything's all right."

María finally forced her eyes open, afraid that she would see those cruel violet eyes and that zanpakutou. Instead she found herself gazing into a pair of concerned ice-blue eyes. María's breathing slowed, the memories of escaping Hueco Mundo with an enhanced Heiqiang technique and appearing somewhere sunny. She remembered seeing the beautiful woman and begging for help.

_I must've passed out,_ she thought.

The woman smiled. Seeing her up close, María really could see the woman was truly beautiful: long, wavy strawberry-blonde hair, clear skin, and a cute little beauty mark by her mouth. "It's all right now," said the woman.

María sat up and looked around. "Thank you for helping me," she said. Then she realized the heidushuijing wasn't in her hand. She nearly panicked again. "No! Where's the heidushuijing?!"

"This thing?" the woman asked, picking it up from somewhere. María sighed with relief and snatched it away from the woman.

"Thank god," she whispered.

"So then," the woman said casually, "I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. What's your name?"

"María. María Susana."

"That's a pretty name," said Rangiku. "Not from around here, are you?"

"No," María answered.

"I thought so." Rangiku yawned and stretched. María noticed for the first time that her hostess was extremely well endowed.

_That's one impressive bust._

But María's eyes where drawn to Rangiku's side. Her blood ran cold when she saw the zanpakutou.

_A shinigami?!_ she thought, trying to keep calm. _Oh no! If she finds out what I really am—_

"You were asleep for hours," said Rangiku. "You must've been really tired. Feel better now?"

"Erm, yes"

"That's good. Here, let's get you cleaned up."

"O-Okay."

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

_Author's notes: So here it is, my first non-_Konjiki no Gash!_ story. What a historic moment! I have CrazyNinjaPenguin to thank for inspiring me to write this story, and I dedicate it to him. It was a lot of fun coming up with ideas for this story over the past few days. I think the first chapter comes off as somewhat clumsy, but I didn't have any other ideas on how María could meet Rangiku. _

_Anyway, since I'm dedicating this story to CrazyNinjaPenguin that means this will be a girls love story, one with an original character at that. That also means there will be smut several chapters in the future. Be aware. If you like that sort of thing then please read and review!_


	2. The System has Failed

**BLEACH 暗黒の神話**

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night_**

_

* * *

_

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**2. ザ・システム・ハズ・フェイルド**

**2. The System has Failed**

As scared as she was, María was still extremely grateful for the chance to bathe. The warmth of the water washed over her, relaxing her sore muscles. She just wanted to doze off in the bath Rangiku generously allowed her, but she didn't dare. She was in the very heart of enemy territory. At any moment a shinigami might realize that she was different from them. María had to be especially weary of that Rangiku woman; she seemed nice enough, but the shinigami were all bloodthirsty psychopaths and monsters. It wasn't enough that she saw shinigami work their evil before, but one shinigami even once told her directly that shinigami were evil and the Soul Society needed to be destroyed.

Of course, that shinigami turned out to be evil too in the end.

"Damn," María cursed. "I should've been more careful using the heidushuijing." Sure, she wanted to escape Hueco Mundo, but she didn't mean to shoot straight up into the Soul Society! She just traded one hell for another, and now María was being watched over by that Rangiku woman.

_How am I going to escape without her noticing? She has the heidushuijing right now,_ she thought. María needed to get it back, at any cost if need be. If worse came to worse she would kill Rangiku and make her escape. She hoped it wouldn't come to that though; even if the woman was a shinigami the idea of killing someone who showed her hospitality didn't sit well with her. Rangiku was really beautiful too and it would be sad if she had to destroy her. Still, if the shinigami learned what María really was then she would have no choice.

María sighed and poured some soapy water over her head. She escaped her old allies, and she could escape the Soul Society. She just had to be patient.

* * *

_Now that she's up, what should I do with her?_ Rangiku wondered. She was sitting just outside the bathroom, listing to her "guest" washing off. The poor thing really needed a bath; she came in awfully dirty and bad smelling.

Who was this María Susana and where did she come from? Rangiku knew she should report the girl and her strange black crystal; it definitely wasn't normal for someone to just magically appear within Seireitei, bypassing all security measures. For all she knew María could be an enemy agent. Sure, she just seemed confused and tired, but what if it was all an act? It didn't make much sense for an enemy to breach Seireitei and act like that though. If María really meant to infiltrate Seireitei then wouldn't she have tried to blend in unnoticed? Her entry wasn't exactly subtle either. If this was an infiltration attempt it wasn't a very good one.

_Maybe that's why I don't think she means any harm,_ she thought with a smile.

Eventually the bathroom door opened and María emerged, clad in a shishakushou. She was rather pretty all cleaned up. Her hair was a dark brown that stood out in wild spikes. Her eyes were dark brown too, and very serious looking. She looked athletic, and Rangiku noted with some amusement that María was actually quite short.

"Thank you for letting me use your bath, Miss Matsumoto," she said.

Rangiku waved her hand dismissively. "Don't mention it. And just call me Rangiku."

"Oh, all right."

Rangiku frowned and studied María intently. The girl took a step back, a weary look on her face. "Is something wrong, Rangiku?"

"There's something about you," Rangiku said. "I know something's there but I can't put my finger on it."

"What do you mean?" María asked.

"You…look familiar somehow," Rangiku said. She shrugged. "I guess it'll come to me eventually."

"Oh."

Rangiku sat on the couch and took the black crystal from the table. "So, what is this thing?"

"That's really none of your business," María said curtly. "Now give it back."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Rangiku said, surprised by María's harsh reaction, and playfully tossed the object to her guest. María caught it single-handedly.

"Now where is my zanpakutou?"

"I put it by the door," Rangiku said.

Rangiku watched as María strode over and took the sheathed zanpakutou. She tucked it into her sash.

"Well," said María, "thank you for letting me stay awhile. Now I'll be on my way and I'll never bother you again. Good bye."

"Why in such a hurry to leave? You don't like me?" Rangiku pouted.

"I came here by accident. I really should be going."

"At least wait till your clothes are clean enough to wear again."

"I don't need them. These clothes are fine."

"C'mon, relax a little!" said Rangiku. "You're so uptight."

"Why do you want me to stay?" María asked.

"I just wanna get to know you a little better," Rangiku replied.

"Well I shouldn't be here in the first place and if other shinigami learn I'm here then I might get in trouble," María retorted.

Another door opened, and Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya entered the room. María froze, startled.

_Uh oh,_ thought Rangiku.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto," he said, "I know you try to avoid your clerical duties whenever possible, but I really need you to—"

His eyes landed on María. They stared at each other.

"Matsumoto," said Hitsugaya, "who is this?"

Rangiku looked at the two, trying to think of something to say. Her mind raced. She was on the verge of something but it kept just out of reach…

"Lieutenant?" he urged.

"I've got it!" Rangiku cried, pounding her fist into her open hand, startling the other two.

"Got…what?" asked Hitsugaya.

Rangiku left the couch and stepped up to María and Hitsugaya. "I know who you remind me of!" she said to María. "You look like a female version of my captain! Hey captain, is this your sister or something?"

"I can assure you I've never seen this girl in my life, lieutenant," Hitsugaya said with an exasperated sigh.

"But the resemblance is uncanny!" Rangiku laughed. "Maybe María is your long lost twin."

"Her eyes and hair color are _clearly_ different from mine."

"You're right about that, I guess," Rangiku admitted. "I think she's also a bit taller than you."

"Stop dodging the issue, Matsumoto," said Hitsugaya, who was beginning to look very annoyed. "Who is this girl."

"Oh, she's just a grunt in the 3rd Division," Rangiku said casually. "We got into a conversation over some sake. The poor girl's still shocked over Ichimaru's betrayal, so I invited her over here to comfort her."

Rangiku looked to María. The girl caught on and made a sad expression. "How could he betray us like that?" she said sadly.

"And we were just leaving," Rangiku said. She took María by the hand and smiled charmingly at Hitsugaya. "Bye bye captain." She and María were out the door before he could say anything.

"Now," Rangiku said, walking briskly through the evening-darkened streets of Seireitei, "I don't know who you really are and what you're doing here, but my captain probably won't like you hanging around 10th Division headquarters."

"So I can imagine," said María. "So I'll just be on my way…"

"How did you get here?" Rangiku asked.

"Through the power of my lucky black crystal," María answered curtly. "And in a moment, I'll use it to leave this place and never return."

"How sad," Rangiku said. "You really don't like it here?"

"No," María bluntly replied.

"Kinda funny how you got into Seireitei without alerting security," said Rangiku. "People don't normally waltz right in like you did."

"I guess I got lucky."

Where are gonna go now?"

"Anywhere away from here and Hueco Mundo."

Rangiku stopped walking. It wasn't really right to pry into María's business, but the girl's rudeness was getting to her. She was also really beginning to wonder why María would be in such a rush to leave. It was as through she didn't merely dislike the Soul Society but feared it. What was María then? A human with unusual spiritual power like Ichigo Kurosaki? No, she claimed to have a zanpakutou. Then again, so did Ichigo, but wasn't he a special case?

_Is María a criminal?_ Rangiku wondered. _Is she afraid I'll take her in?_

"María," she said softly, "tell me, what's going on with you. Who are you really? What is that black crystal? Where did you come from?" She put a gentle hand on María's shoulder.

María slapped at Rangiku's arm. "Don't touch me!" she growled.

"Wha—" Rangiku was startled and grabbed the shoulder of María's shishakushou. "María!"

"_I said don't touch me, shinigami filth!_" María yelled. She wrenched away from Rangiku, hard enough that part of her shishakushou tore away in her hand. Rangiku stumbled back a step, clutching the scrap of material. María was left panting angrily, her right shoulder bared. The ruined shishakushou slipped down, exposing the girl's modest breasts. Rangiku's eyes were immediately drawn to María's chest.

There was a perfect hole marring the girl's flesh just above her breasts. A hole that went clear through María's body so that Rangiku could see out the other opening in her back. María noticed Rangiku's gaze and her eyes went wide. She clamped a hand over the bizarre orifice but it was too late.

"A hollow," Rangiku whispered. "You're a hollow."

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

María Susana (マリア・スサナ)

Height: 136 cm

Weight: 28 kg

Hair color: Dark brown

Eye color: Dark brown

Appearance: María is a short girl with a stern face and hard eyes. Her hair is short and spiky.

Attire: María's usual attire is a yellow robe with a wide yellow sash.

Personality: María Susana is generally serious and mature. She dislikes what she perceives as silly behavior, and has trouble trusting others.

* * *

_Author's notes: Ah, I had fun with this chapter. It flowed fairly smoothly from my fingers, unlike the first chapter. I like getting into characters' thoughts, so the very beginning was interesting to write. I feel both chapters have been too short though, so hopefully the third chapter will be longer._

_As always, please read and review! Constructive criticism is welcome. _


	3. Blessed are the Sick

**BLEACH 暗黒の神話**

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night_**

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**3. 病魔を崇めよ**

**3. Blessed are the Sick**

Rangiku couldn't take her eyes off the hole in María's chest. A hollow. All this time María was really a hollow.

But how could that be? If María's an arrancar then there should be some remains of her hollow mask. I don't see any sign of her mask.

María took a step back. She glared hatefully at Rangiku, clutching at her hollow hole. "Now you know what I am," she spat, "and your true nature will surface. Reveal yourself as the cold-blooded murderer you really are, shinigami!"

"María," Rangiku said softly, "even if my duty is to cleanse hollows, I don't have a right to cleanse you if you didn't mean any harm in coming here."

"Liar!" María drew her zanpakutou from its sheath and pointed it at Rangiku. "You just want me to drop my guard long enough for you to kill me! I'm not gonna fall for your tricks! _Dig, Fenmuji!_"

María's zanpakutou began to glow brightly. Its shape morphed from a katana to a pole, one end transforming into a flat spade-like blade, the other becoming a smaller crescent-shaped blade. Simultaneously, María's fingertips split open, and curved bone-white talons emerged. She swung the released zanpakutou, Fenmuji, pointing the sharpened spade at Rangiku.

"María!" Rangiku said. "I don't want to fight you! I'm willing to let you go peacefully, but if we fight other shinigami will notice and they won't hesitate to cleanse you when they find out you're a hollow!"

The realization of this dawned on María's face. She now looked unsure of herself.

Rangiku smiled. "Okay; now please reseal your zanpakutou before anyone notices and then we can just leave peacefully." She spoke as soothingly as possible. It was it a little difficult to keep her cool given how strange the situation was, but Rangiku wasn't one to loose her head easily.

María stared at her with disbelieving eyes. "You…really don't want to kill me?" she asked.

"I don't know if you've done anything to deserve that," Rangiku answered. "But you if you were telling the truth about coming to Seireitei by accident and just wanting to leave then I think you're innocent enough."

The two watched each other wearily for a few tense moments, and then Fenmuji reverted back to its sealed form. María's talons retracted too. She pulled her shishakushou back up to cover her hollow hole.

"There we go," Rangiku said. She took a step toward María. The hollow girl flinched away. Rangiku spread her arms reassuringly. "It's okay, María."

María looked at her with wide eyes. Tears formed in them and María began to sob shudderingly. She fell to her knees and buried her face in Rangiku's stomach like a frightened child would with a parent. Rangiku let her cry.

They were there for a long while.

* * *

Rangiku opened the door to her room, stepped inside, and then closed the door behind her. She had a new bottle of sake. Sitting morosely on her futon was María, now dressed in her original clothes. 

Rangiku smiled. "Feel better now, María?"

María nodded her head. "I think so. Rangiku? I'm sorry I called you a murderer. It's just that I grew up fearing shinigami. I was raised to think shinigami were monsters that did nothing but kill hollows."

"That's understandable; most shinigami were raised to think the same way about hollows."

María nodded again.

Rangiku said beside her and took a drink of her sake. "María, if you don't mind me asking, what are you really? You're not a normal hollow but you don't look like an arrancar either."

"I'm actually an arrancar variant," María answered. "A '_heipomian_'; an arrancar artificially evolved when exposed to an'uuto essence. A heipomian loses the hollow mask entirely, unlike normal arrancar."

"An'uuto essence?" asked Rangiku.

"The essence of the World of Darkness," María said. "An'uuto are beings born of darkness, and their power can evolve non-an'uuto to stronger forms. Hollows evolve especially well when exposed to an'uuto essence, so some an'uuto came to Hueco Mundo to experiment. I'm a product of those experiments."

"Really?" asked Rangiku. It was incredible to hear that a force totally unknown to her was operating in Hueco Mundo now. She made a mental note to find out if there were any records on the an'uuto or World of Darkness. "María, is a shinigami named Sousuke Aizen involved in these experiments?"

María shook her head. "No, no one by that name was present. There is a shinigami involved though, a woman named Tara Niou. She's one of the leaders of the experiments."

"I've never heard of a shinigami named Tara Niou," said Rangiku.

"That bitch is the reason I ran from them," María muttered darkly. "She's the one who turned me into a heipomian. She told us she wanted to help hollows find a new life free from shinigami threat. But she just wanted to make herself stronger with an'uuto power and overthrow Soul Society with an army of heipomian. Don't like being used like that, so I stole their source of power."

María produced the black crystal and held it up for Rangiku to see. "The '_heidushuijing_', or 'black poison crystal', is a condensed form of tremendous amounts of an'uuto essence used for evolving hollows into heipomian and enhancing an'uuto powers in general. Since heipomian use an'uuto power I was able to shoot straight from Hueco Mundo to Seireitei with this."

"Amazing," Rangiku whispered. Now she understood the unease she felt when she saw the crystal earlier. "How powerful is that thing?"

María casually turned the heidushuijing over and over in her finger. "Oh…about powerful enough to completely annihilate Soul Society."

Rangiku paled. "Completely annihilate…"

"If used correctly, it could tear a hole to the World of Darkness open and call countless an'uuto to it. An'uuto can be just as ravenous as hollows. But even if they aren't summoned, a hole to the World of Darkness could rend Soul Society to pieces if opened here. Normally such holes are stabilized by an'uuto to keep other people from learning about them, but an artificial hole that appears very suddenly might not be stabilized in time."

"That's really scary," Rangiku said. "Do you really want to carry that thing around?"

"I need to get rid of it, but I don't know how," said María. "I can't risk letting it fall into the wrong hands, and it's resisted all my attempts to destroy it."

"Looks like we have a real problem then," said Rangiku. She set her sake aside. "Well, I dunno what to do with you. It's not safe for you to be running around with the heidushuijin, but if you stay here your secret's bound to be discovered sooner or later. Where did you plan to go?"

María looked away. "I don't know; I don't belong anywhere now, really."

Rangiku smiled and hugged María. "Aw, don't be like that. As long as you need my help you belong with me. Let me be your protector."

María seemed a little surprised, but then she smiled and returned Rangiku's hug. "Thank you, Rangiku. It's such a relief knowing you want to help me. For a while it felt like everyone was out to get me."

"Hey, I'm not squishing you with my boobs, am I? These things sometimes make hugging troublesome."

"No, it's not problem," said María. "You feel so warm and nice. I like hugging you."

Rangiku ran a hand playfully through María's hair. "Why don't you stay here and sleep in my futon. I sleep on my couch all the time, so it's no problem."

"Really? Thank you."

Rangiku got up and moved to the door. She opened it and gave María one last smile. "Good night María."

María tucked herself into the futon. "Good night Rangiku."

The shinigami left, leaving María alone with her thoughts. She definitely liked Rangiku now, no doubt about it. _She's so much like Alba it's almost frightening,_ she mused as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Tara Niou was losing patience. 

It had been three days since that little traitor María had run off with the heidushuijing, and none of the other heipomian were able to find her. Tara swore that when she got her hands on María she would slowly have her body parts chopped off and feed them to the an'uuto soldiers. Why did the girl have to steal the heidushuijing anyway? Couldn't María see that they were going to create a better world with it?

Prince Resu entered the tent. Tara was about to snap at him for not announcing himself first, but the satisfied smile on his face told her something had changed.

"Well, what is it?"

"I've been able to determine that the heidushuijing is no long in Hueco Mundo," the an'uuto prince said in his usual soft tone.

"That doesn't help us very much," Tara said irritably.

"Oh, but I've also determined that the heidushuijing is now in Soul Society."

Tara couldn't believe what she was hearing. "_Soul Society?_ María brought the crystal to _Soul Society_ of all places?"

Resu pulled off his furry hood and shook out his luxurious mane of white hair. "At least I found it. We just need a way to reach it with a minimum of trouble. Would anyone still recognize you if you went up there?"

"Good question," said Tara. "Yamamoto would, but I don't know about the others."

"Well I'm sure we could work out a solution if we just put our minds to it," he said.

A smile spread across Tara pale face. "You know, I think I have an idea already…"

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

**María Susana's zanpakutou**

Name: Fenmuji (墳墓姫 (フンムージー) _Funmuujii_, _lit._ Grave Princess)

Fuhuo: Fenmuji is transformed into a Chinese monk's spade and María grows long talons. It is activated by the command "dig" (掘れ _hore_).

Abilities: The talons on her left hand can be extended further then the ones on her right hand, effectively giving her a secondary weapon. Welding the released Fenmuji with her right hand, she can block and follow up attacks with her clawed left hand.

* * *

_Author's notes: I didn't like how quickly María gave up against Rangiku, but I had no other choice; Rangiku was right about what would happen if they fought right there. Other than that I really like how this chapter came out. Thus I tie yet another story into my "an'uuto mythos". It's like I'm compelled to write about them. _


	4. Flesh & Blood

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**4. ****フレッシュ&****ブラッド～今夜ケモノのように**

**4. Flesh & Blood**

Rangiku was feeling good about herself.

Oh sure, she didn't have the first clue as to where María could go live, and it was extremely risky to keep the heipomian around the 10th Division's headquarters, but knowing she brought piece to María's mind put her in an extremely good mood.

Rangiku sat on the couch and stretched luxuriously. The days ahead were certain to be very interesting.

"I see you're back," Hitsugaya said as he entered the room. "It's nice you've made a new friend, but something must be done about the paperwork."

"I'll get right on that," Rangiku answered promptly, getting up. She flashed her captain a warm smile. He gaped back at her in response, as though she had turned into a hollow before his very eyes.

"You're actually going to do your work?" he asked, bewildered.

"Sure." Rangiku moved into another room and sat at the desk. She took some forms and began to inspect them carefully.

"You're unusually productive tonight, lieutenant," said the young captain. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but keep it up."

"I just feel really good," Rangiku replied, signing forms. "My friend was really depressed, but we talked for a good long time and she's much better now. Seeing her happy makes me happy."

"Then I hope she's happy often," Hitsugaya said with a brief smile.

"Say captain," asked Rangiku, "does the name 'Tara Niou' ring any bells?"

"Tara Niou?" Hitsugaya repeated. "No—Wait, that name does sound a little familiar, now that I think about it. I can't remember where I heard it though or who that is. Why?"

"Oh, I just heard someone mention it," Rangiku answered. She couldn't tell her captain that she heard Niou was some rogue shinigami performing strange experiments with hollows or else he would demand to know how she came across that information. Better to just subtly point it out to him. If it turned out Niou was a serious threat then Hitsugaya would find out and everything will be taken care of, all because Rangiku casually asked him a question. And if he asked again where she heard the name she could just claim to have forgotten. Simple.

Still, something needed to be done with María. They couldn't keep the game up forever. But where could she stay?

"Tara Niou…" she heard Hitsugaya mutter to himself. The young captain looked lost in thought, his white eyebrows pressed together in concentration. He moved to leave the room, the name clearly bothering him.

Rangiku returned to her paperwork, glad that her enthusiasm for it was distracting to Hitsugaya. As long as he was focused on her there was little chance for him to realize María wasn't a shinigami.

* * *

Hitsugaya had been meaning to visit the local library for a while now. There was an old book on antique tops he wanted to read, but hadn't had a chance to look at until recently. With the time he had for himself he could finally check it out for himself.

He strolled through the aisles, his finger passing over the spines as he went. _Ah, there it is!_ The captain carefully slid the hardbound tome from its place and flipped it open. His eyes were greeted with beautiful illustrations and faded photographs of tops throughout history.

He closed the book and tucked it under his arm. The only thing left was to check it out and return to headquarters.

_Tara Niou…_

Hitsugaya froze. That name again; it was bugging him ever since Matsumoto casually mentioned it. He knew he heard it somewhere before, he just couldn't remember who Niou was. It was a maddening feeling.

Hitsugaya glanced around. He wanted to check out his book and spend the rest of the night reading it, but if the name Tara Niou wouldn't leave his thoughts then how would he enjoy his book? If he didn't do something about it he would spend all night wondering about the name. He might as well satisfy his curiosity while at the library.

* * *

Sometime later, Rangiku had finished her work. She hastily put her supplies away and returned to her room. María was sitting up, looking relieved.

"I'm glad to see you," María said. "It's boring having to stay in here, but I'm too scared to go out without you!"

"I can show you around Seireitei tomorrow if you want," Rangiku offered. "It will be much better than being cooped up here. Since my captain thinks you're from the 3rd Division you can't stay here all day any way."

María nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry for putting you through this trouble. I must be such a burden on you right now."

Rangiku sat down next to her new friend. "Hey, don't worry about it! You made the right choice in stealing that heidushuijing thing from the bad guys. For better or worse that's why you're here now. If Tara Niou's as bad you say then you might've saved Soul Society a lotta grief!"

"I just wish I thought my plan out some more," María replied. "I worked so hard on getting the heidushuijing I forgot to really think about the rest."

"I've been thinking about your situation," Rangiku said. "Maybe if we can convince everyone that Niou's dangerous then they won't mind you. Just don't bring up what you really are and be nice. It's a small chance, but it might be worth a shot, eventually."

"Maybe you're right, but I don't know if I could trust shinigami," María answered.

Rangiku smiled. "You trust me, don't you?"

María put a hand to the back of her own head. "Well, I do know you better than other shinigami. I just don't feel _safe_ here though, surrounded by people who would regard me as evil." María lowered her head sadly. "There's no place safe for me, really."

"Oh, that's _it!_" Rangiku threw her hands up, exasperated. "You really are just like my captain!"

"Excuse me?" María asked. She looked at Rangiku with confusion.

"You're so serious and angsty!" Rangiku clarified. "You need to lighten up!"

Rangiku moved behind María and grabbed her shoulders, her heavy chest pressing against the back of María's head. Rangiku's nimble fingers went to work, kneading the heipomian's tense shoulders. Rangiku felt satisfied at the sound of María's startled gasp, which quickly turned into a relaxed sigh. The younger girl slouched back into Rangiku and closed her eyes, her head resting on Rangiku's breasts like cushions.

"That feels so nice, Rangiku. Thank you."

"It's just what the doctor ordered," Rangiku stated matter-of-factly. "And tomorrow we're gonna have some serious fun together, just the two of us. I'll make you happy if it's the last thing I do!"

"That's sounds wonderful." María sat up and turned to face Rangiku. She smiled dreamily at the lieutenant, put her arms around Rangiku's waist, and brought her lips to meet Rangiku's in a soft, quick kiss. Rangiku blinked, not expecting that from her friend.

Immediately María blushed fiercely and pulled away. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked, avoiding Rangiku's eyes. "It's just, for a moment, I…I mistook you for a friend of mine! I mean, you _are_ my friend, but…"

Rangiku raised an eyebrow. "A friend you kiss often?" she asked wryly.

María's face registered sadness again. "A friend I left behind in Hueco Mundo, one of my former teammates."

"Oh," said Rangiku, now feeling bad for María, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," said María. "You're just very similar to her, being so kind and playful and…so very beautiful."

"Really?" asked Rangiku, flattered and her interest piqued.

"Yes," María answered. "She had a very large bosom too."

"As big as mine?" Rangiku grinned and hefted her own impressive breasts.

María smiled mischievously. "Bigger, actually."

"No way!" Rangiku cried incredulously. "Bigger than _these?!_"

"Well, she _was_ big in all sorts of ways," María answered. "She was much taller than you, and had muscles all over."

"Muscles all over?" Rangiku repeated. "Sounds like she doesn't have any back pain problems."

"Nope, not at all."

"She sounds interesting," Rangiku said.

"I wish you could meet her. She was too attached to Niou's vision to come with me though," María sighed.

"If she's really your friend I'm sure she'll come around," Rangiku said comfortingly. "Now, did you two kiss often?"

"Oh, fairly often…"

Rangiku leaned over and gave María a quick kiss on the lips. She looked into the girl's eyes and smiled. "Maybe if we kiss more often we'll become the best of friends."

María blushed again. "Erm, maybe."

Rangiku stood up and stretched like a cat. "You must be hungry. Care for some dinner? I'll make it myself."

María's face brightened. "Yes please! That would be wonderful."

Rangiku grinned. "Great! I'll show you what I can do in the kitchen."

* * *

After some time of searching, Hitsugaya found what he was looking for in the newspaper archives. The page featured three pictures, the first being an arrogant-looking woman with long dark hair and aristocratic features. She was indeed very beautiful, but there was something about her that Hitsugaya found detestable.

The second picture was of a pretty young girl with wide, bright eyes, a light ponytail, and a kind smile. She looked very energetic, like an older Yachiru Kusajishi.

The third picture depicted another attractive woman with long black hair. Her face was scowling and her eyes were bitter and narrow. With her dark complexion and stern features she reminded Hitsugaya almost of a female version of Kaname Tousen.

The three women where Tara Niou, former captain of the 12th Division, Suzuko Nouhara, former captain of the 2nd Division, and Seia Kazama, former captain of the 9th Division. All three were wanted for murder and treason. Hitsugaya felt it coming back to him, the gruesome story he heard years back about a captain who went mad and murdered several shinigami before escaping to Hueco Mundo. At the time he had dismissed it as a legend; surely a shinigami captain could never do something so horrible, right?

Oh how naïve he had been in those days.

The story in the paper was actually worse than the one he heard so long ago. Niou had been discovered to have been using people and hollows in horrific, illegal experiments, and Nouhara and Kazama had been aiding her by acquiring subjects. The three had managed to escape before being captured and were never seen since. This was during about three hundred years before.

Hitsugaya saw that Nouhara had even murdered her own lieutenant in cold blood before vanishing. He looked back to the smiling shot of Nouhara and a chill crept up his spine; it was positively disturbing that such a sweet, harmless looking girl could be capable of such brutality. Then again, Aizen had seemed like a pretty nice guy too.

He put the newspaper back, feeling ill that an event similar to Aizen's ordeal had taken place once before. But how did Matsumoto hear of such a macabre story hereself? Perhaps she overheard it being told to someone else. All she mentioned was that she heard the name somewhere.

_Yes, that must be it,_ he told himself. _Now to check my book out and try to forget about Tara Niou…_

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

**Heipomian**

Heipomian (黒破面 (ヘイポーミィエン) _Heipoumiien_, _lit._ black torn mask) are a variant of arrancar created by exposing hollows to the essence of the World of Darkness. A hollow evolved in such a manner loses the hollow mask entirely but the hollow hole remains. Like normal arrancar, heipoman can seal their power into a zanpakutou. Unlike with arrancar, this zanpakutou is not the complete original form sealed away; instead it is only a portion of the hollow's original form. The zanpakutou itself will transform much like a shinigami's. Thus a heipomian's zanpakutou release, fuhuo (復活 (フーホオ) _Fuuho'o_, _lit._ rebirth), is halfway between an arracar's and a shinigami's.

Being evolved with an'uuto power, heipomian naturally have access to an'uuto abilities and enhanced hollow powers. For reasons unexplained, heipomian follow a Mandarin motif rather than a Spanish motif like hollows normally do or an Emu (the an'uuto language) motif as might be expected since the an'uuto created the heipomian in the first place.

**An'uuto**

An'uuto (暗物 (アンウウト) _An'uuto_, _lit._ dark thing) are the natural organisms of the World of Darkness (暗黒界 (あんこくかい) _Ankokukai_). There are two varieties, hya'an'uuto (下暗物 (ヒャアンウウト) _Hya'an'uuto_, _lit._ low dark thing) and shamuan'uuto (上暗物 (シャムアンウウト) _Shamuan'uuto_, _lit._ high dark thing). Hya'an'uuto are animalistic while shamuan'uuto are sentient and tend to be humanoid. Regardless of variety, all an'uuto must periodically consume flesh and blood to survive. Shamuan'uuto speak a language called Emu (永語 (エムユ) _Emu-yu_, _lit._ the eternal language). Some hya'an'uuto learn to understand commands in Emu.

When the an'uuto discovered Hueco Mundo and Soul Society they applied Emu words to concepts new to them. Here are some relevant words.

Arrancar: Pomen (破面)

Bankai: Wangyai (卍解)

Bakudou: Bokudau (縛道)

Fuhuo: Fukuguto (復活)

Gotei 13: Futen Sapusan Zui (護廷十三隊)

Hadou: Podau (破道)

Hakuda: Pakuda (白打)

Heipomian: Hetopomen (黒破面)

Hohou: Bouhatsu (歩法)

Hollow: Hyu (虚)

Hueco Mundo: Hyuken (虚圏)

Menos Grande: Daihyu (大虚)

Quincy: Mitokakuse (滅却師)

Reiatsu: Rin'apu (霊圧)

Reiryoku: Rinriku (霊力)

Reishi: Rinji (霊子)

Resurrección: Guiren (帰刃)

Seireitei: Seirinten (瀞霊廷)

Shikai: Chigyai (始解)

Shinigami: Shishin (死神)

Soul Society: Shifungai (尸魂界)

Zanjutsu: Janzuto (斬術)

Zanpakutou: Janbokudau (斬魄刀)


	5. Slaves & Masters

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**5. ****スレイブス・アンド・マスターズ**

**5. Slaves & Masters**

"Are you sure this is all right?" María asked.

"Of course it is, silly," Rangiku reassured. "I wouldn't be doing it if it were wrong."

"Ah." María smiled. It was a relief to know it wasn't wrong for Rangiku to spend the day out with her.

The sun shone brightly overhead and a pleasantly cool breeze was blowing past. It was all so strange to María as she walked beside Rangiku down the streets of Seireitei in the afternoon. Sunlight was not something she was used to after staying in Hueco Mundo for so long, and it was made even more alien by the an'uuto essence inside of her. An'uuto were not normally accustomed to sunlight.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Rangiku asked.

"If you say so," María answered. "I prefer the shade."

"What do you wanna do first?" asked Rangiku.

"Oh…I don't know," María said hesitantly. "You should pick. I don't know a thing about Seireitei." In truth, María was rather frightened to be out, even with Rangiku. Being surrounded by people who would normally consider her an abomination was extraordinarily uncomfortable. She understood the wisdom of stepping out with Rangiku though; if she always hid in Rangiku's room then sooner or later Captain Hitsugaya would catch her and find out she wasn't really a part of the 3rd Division.

"Let's go shopping!" Rangiku suggested. "I've been meaning to try on some new dresses."

"But your closet's full of clothes," María pointed out. "Surely you have enough to last you a long time."

"I'm not worried about running out of clothes," Rangiku said. "I just love trying on new dresses! Window shopping is great!"

"'Window shopping'?" Instead of answering, Rangiku grabbed María by the wrist and pulled the startled girl along.

"C'mon, you gotta see this!" Rangiku laughed.

After a brief mad dash that had people staring at them along the way, Rangiku abruptly stopped at a favorite clothing boutique. María would've been violently dislodged had Rangiku's grip on her not been as firm as it was. Slightly dazed, María watched as Rangiku stepped up the windows, intently examining the clothing within. Rangiku's full bosoms were pressed against the glass. María felt some embarrassment seeing that. _This woman is nice but she's a little shameless,_ she thought with some disapproval.

Disapproving or not though, María's heart was beating quickly at the sight.

"There's a nice one." Rangiku pointed inside to a blue yukata in a display.

"It looks a bit small for you," María observed. "Erm, no offence!" She held up her hands in apology. "I didn't mean to imply—"

"I didn't point that yukata out for me," Rangiku said, a sly smile spreading across her face. "It's for you."

"Me?" María stammered. "I don't need a yukata!"

"But you'd look so cute in that!" Rangiku beamed. "You need to try it on!"

"I don't know…" María said. She didn't want to change her clothes away from Rangiku's room. Her hollow hole would feel so exposed and vulnerable.

Rangiku patted María's shoulder reassuringly. "It'll be okay," she said, her voice gentle. Her smile made María feel warm and safe.

"Well…if you say so," María agreed.

The pair entered the boutique and María selected the yukata.

"Go to the dressing room and try it out," Rangiku urged.

"Will you be trying anything on?" asked María.

"I always do," Rangiku answered. "Just wait till you see what I want this time!" She nudged María. "But change first!"

María moved into the dressing room with the blue yukata. Nervously she undressed, self-conscious of the hole in her chest.

_If the people on the street saw me like this would I be arrested?_ she thought. _Would I be executed? Would Rangiku be able to come to my defense or would she be in trouble for harboring me? Or would I even be killed in the street like an animal, no trial whatsoever? _

María shivered and quickly changed into the yukata. When she came out Rangiku was still getting changed. María felt nervous when Rangiku wasn't in direct sight and she hated it. It was an awful sensation.

_Please hurry up, Rangiku. I just want to leave._

"Okay, I'm ready!" Rangiku announced. The blonde woman emerged from the changing room, taking María's breath away. Rangiku was clad in a magnificent juunihitoe. Each layer was bright and colorful. Even in such a dignified garment though her bust was still noticeable.

"How do I look?" Rangiku asked.

"You look…stunning," María admitted.

Rangiku coyly brought her sleeve up to cover her face. "Oh you…" she giggled. She dropped the heavy sleeve and looked at María. "That yukata really fits you. You're so cute in it! I'm totally getting that for you."

"Really? You don't have to."

"You've just got to show that off!" Rangiku produced some money and paid for both outfits. They walked out of the boutique wearing their new clothes.

"This juunihitoe is kinda formal," Rangiku said, "but I've always wanted one, even a cheaper one. The _really_ nice ones are beyond my reach unless a rich guy feels like treating me to one."

"Thanks a lot Rangiku," said María. "So, what now?"

"That's easy," Rangiku stated. "Drinks and snacks!"

They walked some distance to an open pub. Rangiku and María sat down at the front. María could smell something nice inside.

"Uh oh," Rangiku said. María turned to her. Rangiku was looking inside her purse. It looked sad and deflated. "I used up all my cash."

María's spirits dropped. "So we have to just go home now?" she asked, disappointed.

"Not until we get our drinks!" Rangiku declared. She glanced down the street and smiled. "And we're about to get those drinks."

María followed Rangiku's gaze. Coming down the street in their direction were two men. The first one was a young guy with a toned figure with spiky black hair and a choker around his neck. The other was older and wearing an immense pink haori and a straw hat.

Rangiku waved. "Shunsui! Shuuhei!" she called.

"Ah, Rangiku!" the man in the haori called back. "How're you doing this fine afternoon?"

"Great! Except I don't have any money on me right now…"

"You didn't spend all your money, did you?" asked the black-haired man.

"I brought less than I thought I needed," Rangiku said sheepishly, "especially considering I brought a new friend."

The man in the haori smiled and stepped up to María. She could see he had a ruggedly handsome face and looked rather gentle. "And whom do I have the pleasure of meeting for the first time?" he asked her.

"Maria Susana of the 3rd Division," Rangiku answered without skipping a beat. "She's been feeling down lately, Captain Shunsui Kyouraku, so I've been comforting her."

María was relived Rangiku was able to think quickly when she needed to. It would've been bad if she couldn't identify these guys.

"Pleased to meet you, Captain Kyouraku," María said with a smile. _He seems nice,_ she thought.

"So, Lieutenant Shuuhei Hisagi," said Rangiku, "who wouldn't mind treating us poor little girls to a drink or two, would you?"

Kyouraku looked at Rangiku quizzically. "Why so formal with the names all of a sudden?"

Rangiku shrugged. "Maybe it's the juunihitoe I'm wearing. It makes me feel like a noblewoman."

"Then let us be your noblemen, _Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto_," Kyouraku chuckled good-naturedly. "So, sake and dried persimmons, right? What about Miss Susana?"

"I'll just have the same thing please," María said. "Just a little."

"Just a little then?" Shuuhei asked. "Sure thing." He turned to pub's counter. "Hey! Drinks please!"

"I'll only have a little," María said when a cup of sake was placed in front of her, and took a sip.

Ten cups later, María could barely tell the darkening sky from the street. It was the damnedest thing, the way she felt like she was underwater. Her vision swam and she could barely lift her head up. Half-glimpsed versions of Alba drifted in and out of her sight, as did Rangiku.

"Alba…" she slurred. "I'm sorry Alba. I miss you." She stumbled to her feet, and nearly tipped over onto her face.

"Maybe we had a little too much?" Rangiku asked, her face flushed. She hiccupped and laughed stupidly, swaying in her seat. "Aw, I could have a little more!"

"Me too," Kyouraku giggled. He was laying on the tabletop, his head resting on his hands. "What about you, Shuuhei?"

Shuuhei didn't answer; he was too busy vomiting into a trash receptacle.

María looked at Rangiku. Even through her wildly tilting vision the woman was a beautiful creature. The visions of Alba kept intruding in though. They seemed to be frowning at her. Sometimes the image of Alba would overlap with Rangiku, and they almost looked the same in a few respects.

"Rangiku, y'know, you look kinda like my lover back home," María mumbled. She stumbled up to the older woman. Rangiku was turned around, laughing softly to herself. María reached out and clumsily groped at Rangiku's breasts.

"_Eek!_" Rangiku yelped playfully. "Ooh! Frisky, aren't we María!"

María nibbled on Rangiku's ear. "Remember we used to be like this, Alba?" María asked.

Shuuhei stopped vomiting long enough to look up and notice what was happening between Rangiku and María. Even through his sake-induced headache he could understand what he saw. "Wow," he whispered.

Kyouraku had also taken notice. He watched the two, an eyebrow raised appreciatively. "Nice," he appraised.

"Who's Alba?" Rangiku asked. "Sounds fun!"

"My ex-lover," María slurred. "Me and her used to do all kinds of naughty things together when no one was looking."

"_Very_ nice," Kyouraku said.

"Not again!" The voice cut through María's fogged mind. Her turned her head to see who it was. A woman with black hair and glasses had shown up and seemed to be hitting Kyouraku on the head with a paper fan.

"Get up, Captain Kyouraku!" she demanded. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Hey there, Nanao. What's going on?" Kyouraku asked, his voiced slurred.

"You're going back to headquarters, that's what!" Nanao looked over at Shuuhei. "Lieutenant Hisagi. I know it's hard on you and I can't imagine what you're going through, but you shouldn't be drinking like this."

"You're right. I'm sorry," Shuuhei said, getting to his feet.

"I guess this means the party's over," said Rangiku. She slipped out of María's grasp and grabbed the girl by the sleeve, pulling her down back to headquarters. Luckily Hitsugaya wasn't in when they arrived. They quickly moved to Rangiku's bedroom and collapsed on the floor.

"I love you, Rangiku," María said, a note of sadness in her voice. "I promise I won't leave you like I did Alba."

"You mean it? That's wonderful," Rangiku answered. She yawned widely. "I guess I love you too. Love's nice, isn't it? It's so…lovely. Ha! That was funny!"

María had already fallen asleep by then. Rangiku soon followed.

* * *

"Oh Seia…" Suzuko Nouhara whispered, looking into the other woman's golden eyes longingly.

Seia Kazama gave a sultry smile before taking Suzuko gently and pressing her full lips to Suzuko's mouth. The kiss was deep, their tongues probing each other's mouths. They embraced, their nude bodies pressing tightly together, pubises grinding. The two moaned passionately, deeply.

Tara Niou sat up in her bed, watching with amusement as her two closest friends made love to one another at the foot. She lightly caressed her ample breasts with one hand as she looked on.

As Seia broke off her kiss and proceeded to suckling at Suzuko's round breasts, Tara smiled. Suzuko and Seia, the two Tara shared her eternal youth with in the endless darkness. Suzuko was her precious pet; her shining jewel; the light of her life. Tara loved and doted on the girl endlessly. In return Suzuko acted as her loyal lapdog, forever devoted to her mistress. Seia was different; the former captain of the 9th Division was an intellectual on equal footing with Tara herself. She followed Tara's will, but only on her own standards. Tara respected that; Seia's independence was one of her most attractive traits.

Tara crawled out of bed and lifted a strand of Seia's shiny black hair. She inhaled the sweet scent of her lover, rubbing the soft hair on her face. She leaned over and kissed the back of Seia's neck, moving slowly upward. As that place known as Karakura Town slumbered, darkness was creeping forward to devour everyone in it. "_Soon,_" she hissed. "_Soon we shall have the heidushuijing back. Then we can finally take our rightful places as the rulers of all spirits._"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

**Tara Niou**

Tara Niou (仁王多羅 (におうたら) _Niou Tara_)

Height: 172 cm

Weight: 57 kg

Birthday: 13 September

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Violet

Appearance: Tara is a tall woman with a slender build. She is fairly well endowed and has long flowing hair. Her skin is very pale.

Attire: Tara usually wears a black robe with golden trim.

Personality: Ruthless and power-hungry, Tara Niou is highly intelligent and has a knack for getting people to do as she says. She has trouble keeping her ambition in check.

* * *

_Author's notes: Well, that had to be the tamest sex scene I've ever written. Anyway, things are about to get very exciting from here on out. In case anyone is wondering, the false name Rangiku made for María looks like this: _須沙奈鞠亜_. It's pronounced Susana Maria in Japanese. Basically the same name made to sound Japanese rather than Spanish._


	6. Devoured by Vermin

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**6. ****デボーレッド・バイ・ヴァーミン**

**6. Devoured by Vermin**

The night was warm and still. A full moon hung over the sleeping town, illuminating with the moonlight. The stafrs shone brightly, unobstructed by clouds. And to Resu, whose senses were attuned to it, the substance the hollows called _reishi_ filled the air. He inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet sent of it. The place below, which Niou had identified as Karakura Town, was literally _saturated_ with reishi. The prince's felt saliva squirt into his mouth; souls were an exceedingly rare delicacy for him since the consumption of souls was illegal in the World of Darkness, but in the Transient World and Hueco Mundo he was not beholden to any laws. An'uuto could feast on all the souls they could acquire, and all the meat and blood were a lovely bonus.

And Niou's plan involved devouring as many souls as possible for the next few nights, particularly powerful souls, the most delicious kind. It just didn't get any better than that. How that would help them recover the heidushuijing he had no idea, but he didn't care.

"Tonight, my lowly brethren," he said, stroking the head of a remuryapuken "we feast."f

The hya'an'uuto stirred at his words, then poured from the dimensional tunnel into the town below.

* * *

The hollow roared, its eerie call reverberating through the streets, unheard by anyone but the spiritually sensitive. It was a story tall and was very lanky with bony arms and legs. Its hands were oversized and it mask was a permanent demonic grimace. The skin was skin and shark-like.

Ichigo Kurosaki, substitute shinigami, stared the monster down, his gaze hard and unyielding. In his hand was Zangetsu, his zanpakutou. "Y'know, fighting with you guys is really cutting into my study time," he said. "It's getting on my nerves."

The hollow bellowed and rushed at him. It was big and ponderous, its movements loping. It never had a chance. Ichigo bent his legs slightly, then propelled himself into the air, hanging above the hollow's head. He brought Zangetsu above his head, then cleaved downward in an unstoppable arc. The cleaver-like blade cleanly sliced through the hollow's mask. It was instantly purified, and vaporized with a final roar.

Ichigo landed gracefully, not even haven broken into a sweat. Still, he was less than thrilled with his little exertion. Hollow attacks were annoying and cut into his time. He wished they would leave him alone for a little while and let him relax.

There was a bellow in the distance, unmistakably that of another hollow. _Damn,_ Ichigo thought as he ran in the sound's direction, _I'm never gonna get to sleep tonight. I'd better finish this fast._

Swiftly moving through the streets, Ichigo looked around for the hollow. A block or so down, he found it, but it wasn't what he expected; it was lying in the street on its back, writhing and howling. _What the hell…?_ Ichigo had to do a double take. He though he saw black shapes clinging to the hollow's body. In that moment he noticed the blood pooling around the hollow's body. He wasn't mistaken; there were smaller creatures moving over the hollow like ants on a cockroach. Numerous gashes and gouges and what looked like bite marks covered it.

The hollow roared again, and this time Ichigo sensed the agony in its scream. He gave another spasm, then fell still. At the distance he was standing from the fallen hollow he couldn't see what was attacking it clearly, and Ichigo didn't like that. _If those things took down a hollow, then they're probably not gonna hesitate in attacking me._

Something made a low growl to his right. Ichigo turned his head. There was an ally next to him with a trashcan. The trashcan tipped over with a clang, spilling its contents over the sidewalk. Hellish red eyes glowed balefully from the dark ally at him. A large black dog emerged from the ally, its body powerful and muscular. Its lips were pulled back, exposing huge bone-white fangs. Behind it Ichigo saw two more pairs of glowing eyes, more growls following the first dog.

_That's not a dog, it's the goddamned hound of Baskervilles! A hellhound!_

* * *

Yasutora "Chad" Sado walked along the street, quietly chewing on a hot dog. It was a nice night. He heard some hollows a while back, but both went silent so quickly he knew Ichigo must've taken them out no problem.

Chad turned the corner. To his delight, a very large dog was standing on the sidewalk. It faced away from him, its head lowered. It was audibly chewing on something, probably some food someone threw away.

"Hey there," Chad greeted. "Having a nice night?"

The dog turned around and Sado was very surprised at what it had actually been eating. A man in a business suit was sprawled on the sidewalk, his stomach torn open. Gore dripped from the dog's muzzle, its beady eyes like embers.

Chad heard an unearthly, high-pitched squeal behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes went wide. A pair of what he at first took to be bald, naked dwarfs had appeared, but one look at their gray skin and clawed, sticklike limbs told him they weren't human at all. They shambled toward him, groaning, mouths filled with sharp, broken teeth.

Chad heard the dog-thing give a low growl. He turned back in time to see the dog leap toward him, bloody fangs bared.

"Oh no," groaned Chad, dropping his hot dog and raising his arms to ward off the beast.

* * *

Uryuu Ishida sat in his room, frustrated and bored. Ever since his battle with the despicable Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi he no longer possessed his Quincy powers. He had removed his sanrei glove, briefly granting himself incredible power temporarily before loosing it all. He had briefly regained his power thanks to, of all people, Kurotsuchi giving him a strange Quincy accessory that mimicked the natural power of a Quincy, but the accessory wasn't reliable. Besides, it had been destroyed in the battle with the Bounts and he didn't believe for a second Kurotsuchi would be kind enough to just give him a second one.

Uryuu felt useless and he hated it. He hated having to rely on Kurosaki, Sado, Ino'ue, and any others for protection in times of need. It was demeaning to someone as independent as himself.

He pushed his glasses up and rubbed at his eyes. It wasn't all that late but he felt kind of tired and he felt a headache coming on. _Just what I need to make my night complete,_ he thought bitterly. That scratching at the window sure didn't help.

_Scratching at the window?! _Uryuu whirled around to the window. Something was blotting out his usual view, something moving. He couldn't make out any details of the intruder, but whoever it was surely had to know he could see it in the window. So who would be trying to get in?

Uryuu squinted, trying to get a better look at the intruder. Then he recoiled, freaked out. He couldn't see the intruder's features because it didn't _have_ features. Where its face should have been was a smooth black void. "What the—"

The thing slammed its head into the glass with a sharp crunching sound, cracking the glass. Uryuu wasn't about to stick around and let the intruder get inside. He turned and bolted from his room, coolly aware of the sound of glass shattering behind him.

* * *

Orihime Ino'ue inspected her dinner, takoyaki liberally coated with grape jam over steamed rice. Not one of her most creative efforts, but appealing nonetheless. She wondered if her friends at school would like to try it if she brought some with her.

She took one of takoyaki balls and popped it into her mouth. She chewed for a moment, rolling the flavor around in her mouth before swallowing. "Wow," she said aloud, "that's pretty good. I should give some of this to Tatsuki."

With her chopsticks she rolled a takoyaki ball in the rice, smearing the grape jam around. She hummed to herself tunelessly. It felt good to be at home. She came home not long before and thought she saw from the corner of her eye shadows moving without anyone to cast them. She couldn't she sure since it had been dark out, but she was pretty sure they were moving shadows. Why would a shadow be moving without an owner anyway? Did they get lost? That would be sad because those shadows would be very lonely without anyone to cast them.

"That foods looks very interesting, miss."

Orihime yelped, the boyish, polite voice startling her. She looked up from her food; a figure was standing in the darkened hall. It wore a heavy white coat with a matching furry hood drawn over the face, obscuring any features.

"Oh!" Orihime gasped. "Who might you be, mister? I didn't hear you come in."

The figure chuckled and removed the hood. Underneath was a young man about her age, boyishly handsome with long white hair. His large, expressive eyes were a deep crimson. He looked very gentle and serene. "_Ginwa shi. Su ne minchan shi Resu Nouji,_" he said.

Orihime looked blankly at her visitor. What he said sounded similar to Japanese but the words made no sense at all.

"Good evening. My name is Prince Resu," he said, understandably this time. "What's your name, miss?" The boy smiled disarmingly.

Orihime stared at Resu. What would such a handsome prince be doing at her house? Maybe he saw her name and mistook her for a princess. "I'm Orihime Ino'ue," she answered. "Nice to meet you Princes Resu."

He slowly stepped toward her. "What a charming name."

"Why did you come here, Your Highness?" Orihime asked. "If you've come to make me a princess then that's nice but I'm happy here."

Resu laughed. "I just felt how beautiful your soul is and had to come inside to take a look."

"You can see my soul? Are you a shinigami?"

"Not quite." Resu's smile turned into a full grin. Orihime gasped, frightened by what she saw. His canine teeth were far too long and sharp, like Dracula's. They were the teeth of a predator; a _vampire._

"Won't you give me a kiss, dear Orihime?" he breathed through his terrible fangs.

* * *

Rukia Kuchiki, unseated member of the 13th Division, needed only a quick glance around to know something was seriously wrong. She couldn't see what exactly from her vantage point on the telephone pole, but even after arriving just a short moment ago she realized the problem Captain Juushirou Ukitake sent her to investigate in Karakura Town was much worse than previously believed.

The diminutive young lady unsheathed Sode no Shirayuki and hopped off the pole to the street below. She charged off, looking for signs of trouble. _I keep coming to and leaving this place,_ she mused. _This town sure sees a lot of action, and I have the feeling I'll be returning here many more times in the future._

She wondered how Ichigo and his friends were doing. It would be wise to see what was going on with them. Besides, she might need some help.

* * *

Ichigo grunted in pain. A dog had taken a nice, big bite into his left shoulder in his fight. He had repaid the mutt in turn by decapitating it. Not that this left any impression on its pack mates. Another one leaped straight for his throat.

"Damn it!" Ichigo swung Zangetsu horizontally, cutting the leaping hellhound in two. It was the sixth one so far, and the others showed no sign of leaving him alone. The ones eating to hollow had noticed him too, and from the corner of his eye he saw they were forming a circle around him.

_This is bad,_ he thought. _They're not gonna make this easy for me. What the hell are these things anyway?_

His feet planted firmly on the ground, Ichigo's stance was solid, his body tense. He was ready for any of the weird dogs to charge at him. He could use shunpo to quickly kill a dog or two then escape, but then they would just attack other people. No, he had to kill them all now. He didn't know if there were more dogs scattered over Karakura Town, but it would be best to conserve his energy fighting the bunch that had him surrounded.

With a shout Ichigo drew back Zangetsu and charged at the dogs directly in front of him and swung his zanpakutou in as far a horizontal arc as he could. Three dogs were cut down where they stood, too surprised to make their move. Blood spurted it fountains as the bodies fell to the street.

Ichigo continued his bloody path through the eerie canines, slashing and hacking furiously. He burst through the final defense, stumbling past the picked apart remains of the dead hollow. Spinning on the balls of his feet, Ichigo realigned himself to face the group of snarling black dogs. The moved forward in a wave, hollowing for his blood.

Ichigo grunted. "Yeah, come and get it," he growled. He brought Zangetsu high in the air and gathered his reiatsu in the blade. Then he swung down, releasing the built-up reiatsu. A blue-colored crescent, Zangetsu's Getsuga Tenshou ability, fired from the blade and sped down the street, through the crowd of dogs. About a dozen or so were obliterated where they stood. The one that weren't were blown aside and scattered.

Ichigo didn't waste any time. With the remaining dogs disorganized, he rushed forward again, swinging Zangetsu. He started with a dog lying on its side, struggling to get up. Next was a pair trying to figure out where he went.

Ichigo continued until only three remained. They crouched at the end of the street, watching him wearily. One suddenly bounded at him, maw open and hungry. Ichigo swung Zangetsu at it. The dog caught the blade's edge in its mouth, clamping down on it tightly. The sudden change in weight threw Ichigo off balance, and the two other dogs came at him. He swung Zangetsu forcefully, dislodging the dog that came at him earlier, and threw a punch with his free hand at one of the two leaping at him. His fist connected with the side of one of the mutts' head with enough force to bash it away and knock out some of its teeth. Its partner was luckier, sinking its fangs into Ichigo's outstretched arm. He grunted in pain, feeling a strange coldness in his arm, numbing the pain the bite should've given him. It occurred to Ichigo that if his arm hadn't been outstretched because of his punch his throat would've been torn out. The thought didn't last long though; a freezing pain stabbed into his lower right leg. The dog that had bitten Zangetsu had recovered and was trying to sever his Achilles tendon.

"You don't give up, do you!" Ichigo grunted. As much as it hurt to have a dog biting into his arm, he would be in real trouble if his Achilles tendon were severed. He brought Zangetsu up then stabbed down behind him, running the dog behind him through the head, killing it instantly. He felt the jaws release his leg, and he left Zangetsu in the corpse.

Now free to concentrate on the remaining dog, he brought his fist back punched it as hard as he could. The dog was hurled away, skidding down the street.

Ichigo took several deep breaths. He took a step, hissing with pain in his right leg. _Those weren't dumb animals,_ he thought, _they were smart and organized. _

He looked back on the grim scene for moment, then turned away. He ran off, ignoring the pain in his. _If those things attacked a hollow and me that must mean they're attracted to reiatsu. I'd better check on the others._

* * *

"Why doesn't sis buy her own juice?" griped Keigo Asano, carrying a plastic bag with some juice cans inside. "Every time, no matter what, it's me who buys it."

Unbeknownst to Keigo, several shadows had detached from the darkness and were now squirming after him. Starting lying close to the sidewalk, they reared up, and reached out grab him.

Rukia dashed from her hiding spot, swiftly cutting the creatures in half. They died silently, Keigo never even noticing he was being stalked in the first place. He would make it his home safely, never realizing just how close to death he came that night.

* * *

Chad clenched his right fist, his arm covered in the red and black armor called Brazo Derecha de Gigante. Shallow bite marks covered his arms and legs. They stung and felt weirdly cold, but he had more pressing concerns than a little pain. "Look guys," he rumbled, "I don't like hurting animals but you can't be going around eating people like that." He had dispatched all but one dwarf and one dog.

One of the dwarven creatures loped toward him. He brought his arm back then slammed his fist into its stomach. The thing burst like a water balloon, blood and gore spraying in all directions.

"Yuck," Chad grimaced.

A dog took this chance to try to rip Chad throat out. It leapt at him, snarling bestially. On instinct, Chad swung his armored fist at the fiendish beast. He caught it squarely in the center of its body. The impact rocketed the dog straight into the night sky, its howls fading away into the distance. He didn't see it come down.

"Well that was unpleasant," he muttered. "I've got a feeling more of those things are around here. I should see how the others are."

* * *

Tatsuki Arisawa had gone to bed early that night, having tired herself out beating up hoodlums and Chizuru Honshou earlier that day. She dreamed of going on a picnic with Orihime and Orihime brought a meal of snakes baked in red bean jam.

Outside her home, a couple of the dwarves crept toward her window, slobbering to themselves, hungry for the tasty soul and flesh within. They never got to taste any of it though; Sode no Shirayuki sliced through them like a hot knife through butter.

As soon as that was done, Rukia was off to the Kurosaki Clinic.

Tatsuki continued to dream peacefully of Orihime.

* * *

Uryuu stood outside, wondering what his next course of action should be. He wasn't totally defenseless; he possessed his silver tubes, energized after his adventure in Seireitei. He just had to be careful using them.

"Ino'ue," he muttered. He hated to see girls getting hurt, and if Kurosaki had any decency he would be there to defend Ino'ue from the strange creatures. He started off in the direction of Ino'ue's apartment.

* * *

Orihime backed away until she was up against the wall. Resu advanced with deliberate, nightmarish slowness. He was smiling again, regarding her coolly.

"What shall I do first?" he asked. "Oh, how I'll slowly, slowly cut your garments off and lick every part of you, Orihime. I'll deflower you, hump you till you're raw and bleeding. Then I'll take you from behind."

He passed the table and daintily plucked a stick of her takoyaki from the rice bowl. "And then, sweet Orihime, I'll slit your pretty little throat and lap up the blood. I'll gut you like the darling little piglet you are. I'll eat you, not just in body but in soul too. You'll cease to exist completely. There is no more perfect form of annihilation."

Resu licked the jam from the octopus meat before popping a ball into his mouth, rolling it around in his mouth, chewing slowly.

Orihime's blood felt like ice in her veins. What scared her most of all about Resu was that he wasn't ranting and raving like a movie psychopath. He looked eerily serene and calm even as he uttered such horrible pronouncements to her.

She knew she had only one chance, sort of someone coming to rescue her, and she didn't like it. Even if Resu was promising to do all sorts of horrible things to her, using Koten Zanshun could bisect him. If she did that then was she all that much better than him?

"Please," she said as firmly as she could under the circumstances, "leave me alone. I don't want to but I can really hurt you if I have to. I have friends too, and they won't forgive you if you hurt me."

Resu chuckled. "Hurt me, a prince of the glorious dark Empire of Remuran? Fourth son Rubihatsu the Fallen, greatest of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns? _Pish-tosh_, I say!"

"_Ino'ue!_" a voice called from outside. Orimhime's relief soared. It was Ishida's voice! _"Ino'ue, are you all right?_"

"_Ishida!_" she called back. "_I'm in big trouble here!_"

"Oh good," Resu said, licking his lips. "An entrée before the main course!" He turned to Orihime. "Don't worry, Princess Piglet, I'm not going to deflower your friend—I'm not into boys—I'll just swallow his soul and eat his flesh."

"_Please be careful Ishida!_" Orihime called again. "_This guy seems dangerous!_"

Ishida appeared in the door, panting. His shirt was unbuttoned. He glared at Resu. "How dare you menace this girl? You're responsible for the thing that attacked my home, aren't you!"

"Chances are I _am_ responsible," Resu said, turning to Ishida. "One of my pets must've thought you would make a tasty snack. You're a scrawny little thing though. It wouldn't have gained much nourishment. I'm going to enjoy eating your soul before taking Princess Piglet's honor though."

Ishida suddenly flicked a small object at Resu and made a sign with his fingers. Before the object could get close to Resu, the wicked prince dashed forward with startling speed. Orihime gasped as Resu clamped his hand over Ishida's throat. "What was that you threw at me?" he asked.

Ishida grabbed at Resu's arm and kicked at his legs, but the prince showed no signs of noticing. "Leave Ishida alone!" Orihime cried. She saw she had no choice; she couldn't let Ishida get hurt. "_Koten Zanshun, I reject!_"

Tsubaki zoomed toward his target with killing intent. He aimed for Resu's midsection.

Resu abruptly dropped to his left side, Tsubaki merely nicking his shoulder. A thin spray of blood wetted his heavy cloak. Ishida remained in his hand. Faster than Orihime could follow, Resu's free hand snapped out, flicking Tsubaki away.

"Tsubaki!" Orihime cried.

Resu turned back to her, eyes glittering dangerous. "For _that…_" he began darkly. Instead of finishing his sentence though, he suddenly hurled Ishida toward the window. Orihime shrieked as her friend passed through the open sill.

"_No! Ishida!_"

"That's strange," Resu said. "Where's the satisfying sound of bones breaking?" Orihime realized that she didn't hear any sort of impact outside. Then she noticed a hand tightly gripping the sill from the outside. Ishida had grabbed on before he could fall!

"I'll be having my way with you now, Princess Piglet." Orihime whirled around, finding Resu looming over her. He reached down for her.

Instinctively, Orihime called out, "_Santen Kesshun, I reject!_" A golden shield formed over Orihime a second before Resu could touch her. He brushed the shield curiously.

"My, what interesting powers you have," he said appreciatively. "Maybe I shouldn't devour your soul but take you back with me. You might be of real interest to my people."

"Forget it chump! She's not going anywhere!"

Before Resu could even look up to see who it was, he was violently tackled by the most wonderful fast blur Orihime had ever lain eyes on. "Yoruichi!" she called out, relieved.

"I'll take care of this jerk!" Yoruichi called back to her. She wrestled around with Resu, her godlike speed giving her a great advantage. She repeatedly punched her enemy. "Save your friend!"

Orihime got up and ran to the window. Ishida was still dangling from the sill, his face strained. He had both hands on the sill now, white from gripping it so hard. "Ishida, give me your hand!"

"Thank you Ino'ue," he gasped. "I don't know how much longer I can hold on." He carefully brought his left hand up and she grabbed it as tightly as she could muster. Something moved below him, something dark and flowing. Orihime tried to get a better look, and realized it was one of the moving shadows she noticed earlier. It was moving up the wall of the apartment, toward Ishida.

Orihime pulled at his hand, afraid of what the moving shadow may try to do to him. "Ishida, there's something below you! You've got to get up here!" Behind her she could hear Yoruichi and Resu still fighting. It sounded more distant though, and guessed they took their fight out of the room. She silently thanked Yoruichi for that.

Ishida grunted, slowly pulling himself up. His face was red from exertion. He was halfway though the sill. Then his eyes opened wide. His face contorted with pain and he uttered an agonized scream. Orihime was so startled she nearly released his hand.

"Something's biting my leg!" he hissed through clenched teeth. He struggled harder, slowly pulling himself through the window. With a final yank Orihime dragged Ishida through completely. He thudded to the floor, panting heavily. Orihime gasped when she saw his right leg. The back of his trouser leg was torn open and soaked with blood.

Ishida tried to get up but stumbled. He groaned with pain. "Where is Kurosaki?" he demanded. "If that cad had any decency he would be here defending you."

"Thank you Ishida," Orihime said gratefully. "I'm sure Kurosaki will be here soon, probably with Sado too! Yoruichi's here too!"

Ishida grabbed a chair for support. "Can Yoruichi handle that guy?"

"Don't worry, she's tough!" Orihime exclaimed.

* * *

Rukia had heard some loud explosions and went off to investigate. She was afraid a house might've exploded or some such. To her relief, she found Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, Jinta Hanakari, and Ururu Tsumugiya strolling down the street, Ururu blasting at threats with her rocket launcher. One of the dog monsters tried to creep up on them, but Ururu turned and reduced it to a bloody smear with a single shot.

"Nice shot, Ururu," Urahara complimented.

"Thank you, Mr. Urahara," she responded meekly, shouldering the smoking launcher.

"This is so cool!" Jinta exclaimed, smashing one of the short, ugly monsters with his tetsubo. "This is even better than _Biohazard 4_!"

Urahara looked up and noticed Rukia. He waved to her. "Miss Kuchiki! Nice to see you here."

She waved back. "Hi Urahara. Seen Ichigo around?"

"Can't say I have, but I'm sure he's holding his own," Urahara answered. He pointed up the street with Benihime. "Yoruichi did go that way though. Maybe she knows."

Rukia looked up the street and recognized Ino'ue's apartment. "Yeah, maybe," she replied.

* * *

Ichigo had just finished killing a number a weird creatures he had found gathering around the Kurosaki Clinic. More of the hellhounds, but there were freaky shadow people and killer midgets too. Luckily none of them had gotten into his home.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned around. Chad run up to him. "Chad!" Ichigo gasped when he saw all the scratches and bites on his body. "You okay?"

"I ran into some of those creatures," Chad deadpanned. "It stings but I've been through worse."

"Let's check on Ino'ue and Ishida," Ichigo suggested. "Ishida's defenseless right now."

Chad nodded. "Right."

* * *

Resu got to his feet. He had taken a beating from the dark-skinned woman, tossing him out of the apartment building all together and into the street, but nothing he couldn't walk away from.

_What an annoying woman,_ he thought. Her speed made for a problem, but he had an idea on taking her down.

She stepped from the front door, grinning. "Had enough, or are you ready for more?" she asked.

He raised his hand and pointed his index and middle finger at her. "_Andan!_" he uttered. Immediately black bullet-sized droplets fired from his finger in a continuous stream in her direction.

The woman moved so fast that she appeared to be teleporting, but Resu had encountered similar opponents before. He swept his firing hand around in a fan, rapidly shooting every spot the woman could conceivably appear at. He was rewarded with the sound of her pained grunt. The woman was stopped in her tracks and clutching her side. Her look of surprised pain delighted him to no end. He ceased firing.

"I'm sure you must be wondering why it's harder to move now," he gloated. "My dark powers are terribly cold to your kind and tend to leave you numb and stiff." He pointed straight at her. "_Andan!_" Another dark salvo was fired directly into her. The woman cried out and was knocked to the ground. She was shivering uncontrollably.

"Complete paralyzation," Resu said.

"_Shakkahou!_"

Resu, being very well trained for this sort of thing, was able to dodge the red fireball that came from his left narrowly. It streaked past him down the street where it exploded against the pavement.

_What is it now?_ he thought irritably. He skidded on the pavement, stopping himself by planting his hand onto the pavement. He looked up and saw a short somewhat androgynous girl, a man in a bucket hat and a cane, a little girl with black hair, a little boy with red hair, and a large dark-skinned man with glasses. By the androgynous girl's clothing he could tell she was a low-ranking shinigami. Her hands were pointed at him; he guessed she was the one to have attacked.

Resu heard footsteps pounding his way. He looked over his shoulder and saw two more humans—no, a shinigami and a human. The other shinigami was male with spiky blond hair. The other was an imposing boy with a kind of armor on his right arm.

"I seem to be surrounded," he said, bemused. He pulled himself straight and smiled.

"Who the hell are you?" the blond shinigami asked.

"We caught this guy fighting with Yoruichi, Ichigo," the female shinigami said. "He injured her."

"He was trying to kill Orihime and Uryuu!" the downed woman said—Yoruichi if the female shinigami spoke correctly. "If I hadn't gotten here in time…"

"I admit," Resu said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders, "I was going to kill the scrawny boy in glasses. I was going to deflower Princess Piglet and whisk her away, rather than kill her immediately. I'd like to study her powers."

"You _what!?_" the male shinigami demanded.

"Despicable piece of trash!" the female shinigami spat. Resu could feel the anger and hate for him radiating from all sides. He loved it, he had to admit. It made him feel alive.

"I'll just get it out of the way now," he said. "I, Prince Resu, am the cause of the attack on your town, in case you were wondering. This was but a taste of what I can do to your world."

"Why are you doing this!?" Orihime called from the window. "We didn't do anything to you!" She was poking her pretty head out, glaring at him. Oh, the things he wanted to do to her. He had an erection just thinking of it!

"Why? I don't really know myself, and I don't care," Resu answered her with a laugh. "But I'll be doing it again soon."

"Not if we kill you first!" The male shinigami charged him, his huge cleaver-like zanpakutou drawn. Resu merely smiled. He bent his legs, then propelled himself high into the air. He turned to Orihime as he hung in the air, and winked at her.

"_Zaigen,_ Princess Piglet," he said. "I shall return for your maiden's head. _Gaigai!_"

The familiar mantle of darkness formed over him, and when it retracted he was surrounded by an endless gray expanse of sand with the occasional tree and rock.

"Well that was fun," he said to himself, and tromped off to headquarters.

* * *

"What a revolting young man," Tsukabishi said.

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed. "He was just crewing with us!" He rang his hands in frustration.

Rukia approached him. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Ichigo, Sado."

Ichigo shouldered Zangetsu. "So you've recovered Rukia? You're sure coming here a lot."

Rukia smiled. "Yeah, I am." Her face then hardened. "I didn't come here to talk to you though. I came because Soul Society saw something suspicious happen down here, and dispatched me. The problem's much worse then they foresaw though. We're gonna need reinforcements." She flipped open her cellular telephone and began talking into it in hushed tones.

Ichigo turned to Urahara. "So Mr. Urahara," be began, "you got any clue as to what those things were?"

Urahara smiled sheepishly. "No clue whatsoever, Ichigo."

"What? Seriously?" Yoruichi asked. She was recovering, slowly moving into a sitting position.

"Never seen anything like them in my life," Urahara said. "Sorry. I'd love to say I know what's going on but I don't. All I can say is that those things are nothing like hollows."

"Oh great!" Ichigo moaned. "You mean we're just fighting in the dark here?"

"I'm afraid so," Urahara said.

"This is a problem," Chad said.

Ino'ue popped her head out the window again. "Ishida's hurt. Please help him out here."

"Leave it to me," Tsukabishi said, walking over to the apartment.

Rukia stopped talking on her cell phone. "We may be fighting in the dark," she said with a slight smile, "but we won't be fighting alone. Soul Society's sending in more shinigami to defend Karakura Town."

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

**Prince Resu**

Prince Resu (了司皇子 (レスおうじ) _Resu Ouji_)

Height: 175 cm

Weight: 52 kg

Hair color: White

Eye color: Crimson

Appearance: Resu is a slim boy with long hair and a serene face.

Attire: Resu favor's a heavy white coat with a large furry hood.

Personality: Resu acts polite and patient, but he is really a violent sociopath and rapist. He likes chocolate, and calls Orihime Ino'ue "Princess Piglet" (子豚姫 _Kobuta Hime_). Resu is skilled in the magic of the World of Darkness and uses playing cards as a medium for some of his more unusual spells.

**Types of hya'an'uuto**

Biuuto (卑物 (ビウウト) _Biuuto_, _lit._ wretched thing) are short bloated hairless humanoids with gray skin and tiny eyes. Their limbs are long and thin and have claws at the end of their fingers and toes. Biuuto have extremely low intelligence but can understand simple commands and fight fiercely if provoked.

Remuryapuken (影猟犬 (レムリャプケン) _Remuryapuken_, _lit._ shadow hound) are an'uuto resembling large mastiffs that are completely black in color and have a demonic appearance. They are ruthless predators adept at tracking prey and can be very loyal if domesticated.

Remusen (影生 (レムセン) _Remusen_, _lit._ shadow-born) are humanoids appearing to be malformed silhouettes moving under their own power. Their only feature is a mouth full of sharp teeth, which is only visible if a remusen opens its mouth. They can vary in size, but are usually smaller than humans, although remusen the size of small buildings are not unheard of. Mindless, they accept simple orders or attack perceived threats without hesitation, making them extremely dangerous in large groups. Mysterious creatures, they have been known to evolve in strange ways. Remusen and their evolutions are all included in a hya'an'uuto family known as moshinza (無心者 (モシンザ) _lit._ soulless ones).


	7. Eaten Back to Life

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**7. ****屍鬼～イーテン・バック・トゥ・ライフ**

**7. Eaten Back to Life**

Uryuu's eyes opened, and he immediately wished he hadn't. Sunlight streamed in through the broken window directly into his face. He blinked and turned away from the light, his eyes stinging. He saw spots dance around in his vision. He blinked a view more times and they slowly disappeared, but his eyes still stung.

The young Quincy shifted his position in bed, trying to sit up. A strange icy sensation spread through his leg. Uryuu hissed with pain and grabbed his injured leg. After the others took care of the invading monsters he bandaged his wound and headed home. His leg had been numb the entire night. That had worried him at first, but the numbness was gone now.

Uryuu's stomach growled loudly, and he realized he was really hungry—no, _ravenous_. He eased himself out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. As he prepared a bowl of rice he wondered if he should attend school that day. He was still tired from last night's fight and his leg still hurt.

As he thought about the night before Uryuu began to feel angry and depressed, hating how helpless he had been before Ino'ue's assaulter. He had tried to rescue her and all he managed to do was get thrown out a window and get his leg savaged by a monster.

_If I had my Quincy powers that pervert would be dead by now._

He finished making his rice, but as he looked at the bowl he didn't feel all that hungry any more. No, it wasn't that exactly; it was more like he wasn't in the mood for rice. He was still extremely hungry though, so he scooped some grains into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, but it seemed…flat to his senses. Boring. He took a few more bites of the rice, then shoved the bowl away in disgust.

"Let's see what we've got here…" He opened the refrigerator to see if he had anything. All he saw were some vegetables and some uncooked pork. His eyes fell on the container of pork. Just looking at the raw meat was making him even hungrier.

Uryuu picked up the container and stared at it. Pork sounded good, but it would take a while to cook. If he was going to have some he needed to start cooking immediately. He might miss some school time if he stayed to cook, but he didn't care; he really didn't feel like going.

He opened the container and the smell immediately assaulted his nostrils, an amazing fragrance unlike any he had ever known! Uryuu, blinked, surprised. Was uncooked pork _supposed_ to smell that wonderful? Not that he could ever recall.

Uryuu picked a piece up and looked at it, his mouth watering. It was against everything he had ever learned, especially since his own father was a doctor and the owner of the Karakura Hospital, but it just smelled so _good…_

_It can't be that bad for me,_ he thought. _What's the worst that can happen?_

Uryuu popped the small piece of raw meat into his mouth. The second it touched his tongue he knew it's what he had been craving. He swallowed the piece whole, then took a handful of pork and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed furiously. He couldn't believe that uncooked pork was so delicious! He was so worked up he nearly choked on a wad of the meat. He had to spit it out as he cleared his windpipe. As soon as he did he put the chewed up pork back in his mouth.

Finally satisfied, he moved to put to container in the sink. That's when he realized his leg didn't hurt. In fact, Uryuu felt amazing all around. He didn't even feel tired anymore. Had he really been that hungry?

He glanced at the clock. Still time before school started. He smiled. _I guess I'll go after all._

Minutes later he was dressed and had all his stuff together. He adjusted his glasses, then opened the door and stepped outside into a bright, sunny day. Immediately he stumbled to his feet, shielding his eyes. His eyes stung fiercely, as though the sunlight was lancing his eyeballs.

"Why's it so _bright_ out here?" he asked.

Uryuu retreated back inside and shut the door, his eyes screwed tightly shut. He gasped for breath, regaining his composure. What was wrong with him? He couldn't have been up so late that light stung his eyes. Whatever the reason, he wasn't going to leave his home without protection.

He went back to his room and found his pair of prescription sunglasses. He folded up his usual glasses and donned the sunglasses. When he stepped outside a second later, his eyes felt better.

_That was so strange,_ he thought as he headed to school. _I hope this condition clears itself up soon. I don't want to have to go around in sunglasses all the time._

* * *

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi grew more angry and intrigued with every word he heard. The meeting Captain Juushirou Ukitake called with the thirteen captains was about the recent attack on Karakura Town. What make Kurotsuchi angry was that there was a mysterious life form in the world he had heard nothing about. How could something like that go unnoticed for so long? On the other hand, if he could be the one to uncover all the secrets of the creatures then it would be an extremely valuable contribution to the scientific world. He had to admit, it was a highly attractive prospect.

"All we really know is that this new enemy is being controlled by someone named Prince Resu," said Ukitake. "There appears to be no connection to Sousuke Aizen."

"First the bounts, now this," Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya muttered. "At this rate Aizen won't have to lift a finger against us; so many others are perfectly willing to destroy Soul Society for him."

"We don't know that for certain," Captain Suifeng admonished. "For all we know the enemy is only concerned with Karakura Town."

"We can't take that chance," Hitsugaya countered. "We can't believe that the attack was simply a random event, even if Rukia Kuchiki reported this Resu's motives as being so."

"I agree," said Ukitake. "Rukia's report claimed Resu would continue the attacks. There must be some motive for that."

"It could just be stubborn, foolish pride," Captain Retsu Unohana suggested. "This boy may have been showing off the first time, and when he encountered resistance he wants to prove he can overcome it. It's childish, but Miss Kuchiki's report would indicate that Prince Resu is not especially stable."

"Either way, we need to be prepared," Hitsugaya argued. "I volunteer the 10th Division to defend Karakura Town. Lieutenant Matsumoto has experience there."

"As does Lieutenant Abarai," said Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Mr. Hanatarou Yamada of my division has been to Karakura Town too," said Unohana. "I'm sure he would be a valuable contribution to the effort."

Through sheer willpower, Kurotsuchi somehow managed not to snicker at that. Even more amazingly, he noticed even Captain Zanpachi Zaraki refrained from laughing outright. Then again, no one willingly derided the 4th Division to Unohana's face.

"Some of my boys are getting a little…antsy," Zaraki said. He grinned with his usual menace. "A little action might be good for them."

_If I don't say anything, Zaraki's brain-dead bruisers will ruin everything,_ Kurotsuchi thought.

"Now instead of destroying these creatures outright," he interjected, "we should make more of an effort to study them first. Care should be taken to acquire live specimens for analysis."

"If they die really easily then what's the point?" asked Zaraki. "We don't need to learn any weaknesses."

Kurotsuchi rolled his eyes. "_Because_, Captain Zaraki, we need to understand potential threats thoroughly before charging headlong into them."

"A sound suggestion," Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai nodded. "Just as long as some samples can be obtained." He gazed at the others. "I've decided to go through with this. The 10th Division shall be in charge of the protection of Karakura Town, but the other divisions may contribute as well."

He tapped Ryuujin Jakka on the floor. "Dismissed," he uttered.

Kurotsuchi began to file away with the other captains when he noticed Hitsugaya was leaving with them. The boy stayed behind and approached Yamamoto. Kurotsuchi stopped just beside the door and listened.

"May I help you, Captain Hitsugaya?" he heard Yamamoto say in his booming voice.

"Excuse me, General Yamamoto, but do you remember a former 12th Division captain by the name of Tara Niou?"

Kurotsuchi grinned. Even if she had been a traitor, the story of Tara Niou always warmed his black little heart every time he heard it. He had to admit, the woman had been something of an idol to him when he was growing up. A shame none of her research still existed since what she didn't take with her she destroyed. As a result, the woman's mysterious research had reached near-legendary status within the 12th Division. Kurotsuchi was only able to dream of what secrets Niou might've uncovered, driving her to madness and murder.

"I do remember her, all too well," Yamamoto answered. "People were disappearing and Niou became a prime suspect. An investigation team found her in her laboratory, hunched over one of her victims, talking about how a great darkness was coming to engulf the world. She was told that she was under arrest for her crimes and was surrounded. She had foreseen such a scenario though, and her accomplices, Suzuko Nouhara and Seia Kazuma, attacked the investigation team. All three escaped in the confusion and were never seen again. When the laboratory was given a thorough search it was discovered that her lab assistants had been killed and she had stolen and disposed of her research before hand. Kazama and Nouhara had killed many of their own subordinates too."

"That's quite a story," Hitsugaya said.

"Ghastly," Yamamoto agreed. "There was a detail left out of the papers since Kazama was captain of the 9th Division and they didn't want to defame her any more than she already was. The murder victims and the dead lab assistants were all partially eaten."

"_Eaten?_" Hitsugaya gasped.

"It was determined Niou, Kazama, and Nouhara were the cause of some of it, but most had been mauled by an unidentified animal. It was known Niou had been researching some kind of strange animal, but the only people who knew for sure besides herself were killed."

There was a heavy silence between the two. Kurotsuchi decided he had heard enough. He quietly let himself out and strolled back to headquarters, thinking all the while. He knew the story of what happened with Niou by heart, but hearing it again set something off in his mind. It was true only a few vague reports were made about a strange animal being kept by Niou existed. It was possible Niou had been feeding people to it, accounting for the strange way many of the corpses had been mutilated. In the Kuchiki girl's report it said the attacking creatures had eaten some people and attacked particularly spiritually sensitive people. It was a long shot, but…

Kurotsuchi hurried back to his laboratory, eager to dig out his information on the Niou incident again. He was going to have a busy night ahead of him.

* * *

Uryuu walked outside, lunch in hand. He wasn't feeling particularly fond of the sun that day, but he didn't feel like eating with anyone else. The attention he had been getting for his "cool shades" was annoying.

He took a seat on the bleachers and opened his lunch. Rice with vegetables and some chicken. He still didn't feel like rice and vegetables, but the chicken looked marvelous. He popped the pieces into his mouth and chewed with relish. Just the like pork it was delicious, more so than he could ever remember chicken being.

Finished with the chicken, he dumped the rest of his lunch into the trash. He didn't need that stuff. It was flat an unappealing to the senses. How could he have enjoyed things like that before?

A familiar bone-chilling roar filled the air. A hollow was near-by. Uryuu looked up and saw a large cow-like hollow stepping into the yard, its mask like an exaggerated cow skull seen in moves. Looking at the grotesque thing brought all kinds of negative feelings bubbling to the surface.

_I'm going to have to wait for Kurosaki or Sado or Ino'ue or Kuchiki to get here,_ he thought, bitterness filling him. _Without my Quincy powers I can't do anything but tell the others when there's a hollow. If did have my powers I could kill that hollow in a second!_

He glared hatefully at the hollow. His hate and killing intend were so strong he could almost feel Kojaku in his hand, cold and unforgiving. He raised his hands and pointed at the hollow, which had noticed him and was scuttling his way. It was like he was actually pointing his bow at it.

_Hollows; shinigami; whatever those monsters were last night; I hate them all!_

His left arm drew back. He could swear he was pulling Kojaku's drawstring.

_I hate them _all_!_

He relaxed his left hand. There was a sharp twang and Uryuu thought his eyes had to have been playing tricks on him. The hollow's mask shattered completely, and it collapsed, disintegrating away. Uryuu stared at it, then looked at his hands. There it was, his bow Kojaku. It was black instead of its usual blue and felt extremely cold in his sands, but it was Kojaku all the same.

_It can't be,_ he thought. _I'm going to close my eyes, and Kojaku will be gone. It's impossible. I lost my powers, plain and simple._

But Kojaku didn't go away.

"Ishida!"

Uryuu snapped out of his distraction. It was Ino'ue's voice. He turned and saw her, Kurosaki, and Sado coming down to him. He smiled widely.

"Look!" Uryuu said, failing to keep the excitement out of his voice. "They're back! My powers are back!" He waved Kojaku up and down and laughed.

"So we see," said Sado with his usual deep tone, but Uryuu could see the surprise in his eyes.

"That's wonderful Ishida!" Ino'ue said, clapping her hands together. "It's like a reward for helping me last night! You were so brave!"

"I dunno," Kurosaki said, looking at him with some suspicion. "I'm no expert on Quincy, but I'm pretty sure your bow shouldn't that color."

Uryuu scowled, suddenly feeling very irritated. "I see, Kurosaki. You're so used to being a big damn hero all the time that you were glad when you knew I lost my powers. Now I have them back and you're telling me my powers don't seem right."

"Calm down, man," Kurosaki said, taken aback. "I was just saying your bow isn't the color it should be."

"It does look a little weird," Ino'ue said, sounding somewhat concerned. "But, as long as your powers are back everything should be fine, right?"

""Yeah," Uryuu said. "Fine." He shook his head slightly. The sun was really getting to him again. It felt far too warm and he was getting uncomfortable standing in the open.

"Sorry I snapped at you, Kurosaki," he said, a little irritably. "I'm still stressed out from last night and things have been getting to me. I don't know how or why my powers have returned yet, and I need to find out why."

Uryuu dismissed Kojaku. "Where is Kuchiki?"

"She's went to Urahara's," Kurosaki explained. "They're talking about the attack."

Uryuu pushed his glasses up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He really wanted to go indoors. "I've got to go," he said. "_Zaigen._ I'll see you later."

"_Zaigen_?" Sado asked.

"It means 'good-bye'" Uryuu explained as he walked back to the main building.

"In what language?" Ino'ue asked.

"I forget," Uryuu answered truthfully. He honestly couldn't remember where he heard the word. It just sort of popped into his head and he knew it meant 'good-bye'.

* * *

The day went by slowly for Uryuu. Eventually it was time for Handicrafts Club. He sat by himself, looking out the window. The sunglasses made it bearable, but it was beginning to worry him that the light still stung his eyes. How could his eyes be that sensitive?

"Ishida," said Ino'ue, sitting across from him, "about earlier today. You said _zaigen_ to us. I've heard someone else say that, I think." She was crafting a needlepoint that depicted Kon, Kuroudo, Noba, and Ririn dancing together in a circle.

Uryuu nodded. "I see."

Ino'ue smiled as she continued her work. "I know I heard that word recently." She looked up at him but continued sewing. "Maybe I heard you say—_Ow!_"

She dropped the needlepoint with a clatter and looked at her finger. "_Oh, ouch!_"

"Pricked yourself?" Uryuu asked. "Let me see."

Ino'ue winced and gave her hand to him. A bright drop of blood had oozed on the tip of her index finger. Uryuu looked at it, his eyes widening. He could _smell_ the metallic tang of her blood, taste it in his mouth.

_Plasma, hemoglobin, red blood cells, white blood cells…_

Uryuu moved close, his breathing and pulse quickening. His mouth opened and before he knew it he was licking the blood off her finger. Her blood was warm and salty on his tongue. Normally he hated the taste of blood, but now it was like ambrosia itself. His eyes grew wide. It was the most amazing thing he ever tasted! He had to have more; he started suck at her finger franticly.

Ino'ue shrieked. "_Ishida, stop! That's really gross!_"

Uryuu didn't hear. He couldn't though his euphoria. He grabbed on tight to Ino'ue's arm, his eyes closed blissfully. He only vaguely heard Ino'ue's cries, the other girls screaming, and the door slamming open. So it came as a complete surprise when a iron-hard fist smashed into the side of his face. He flew back out of his chair and crashed to the floor. He blinked at the sudden pain, coming to his senses. _Was I really just…?_

He looked up and found an enraged Tatsuki Arisawa towering over him. Ino'ue was standing behind her. "You perverted _freak!_" Arisawa growled through clenched teeth. "You _ever_ try something like that again and I'll kill you! Understand?"

"I'm so sorry, Ino'ue," Uryuu said, dazed. "I—I don't know what came over me." He got to his feet and avoided Ino'ue and Arisawa's eyes. He was shaking badly. "I've been feeling very strange lately. I think I need to stay home for a while."

He walked pass the girls, pale and feeling sick. He could still taste Ino'ue's blood in his mouth. It still tasted good, and knowing that made Uryuu want to vomit.

_What's wrong with me…?_

* * *

María pressed against the door, trying to listen. She could hear Rangiku talking to her captain, but couldn't make out what was being said. It sounded important though.

Finally the talking stopped and María heard footsteps coming her way. She scrambled back from the door before it opened. Rangiku came in. She looked very concerned.

"María," she said solemnly, "Toushirou just told me I need to go down to the Transitory World for a while. It sounds like there's something very important going in a place called Karakura Town and I've been at our there before, so I need to go."

"So I'm going to stay here, right?" María asked. She didn't want Rangiku to leave her alone, but what else was she supposed to do?

Rangiku nodded. "Just tell everyone you're my friend and you should be treated well," she said. "I'll try to be back again soon."

María was saddened and looked down at her feet. "I understand," she said. She looked up again and smiled at her friend. "I'll miss you."

Rangiku returned the smile dazzlingly. "I'll miss you too, María." Her smile turned sly. "Hey, I seem to remember you grabbing my boobs and comparing me to your ex-lover last night."

María's smile dropped and her face turned bright red. Did she really do those things? She burned with embarrassment. "I, erm…"

Rangiku laughed. It was such a joyful sound that María to smile and finally laugh with her. "Next time kid, we should find something else to do together."

"Yeah, really…" María stuck her tongue out sheepishly.

Rangiku walked out, but turned around to look at María. "See you later, María." She blew a kiss to her. María felt her heart skip a beat.

As Rangiku left, María said, a little sadly, "See you later…Rangiku."

As Rangiku's footsteps faded into the distance, María pulled out the heidushuijing. She turned it around in her hand, looking at all the faces. "Karakura Town…" she said to herself.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

**Heidushuijin**

The heidushuijing (黒毒水晶 (ヘイドゥーシュイジン) _Heiduushuijin_, _lit._ black poison crystal) is a black six-sided crystal the length of a long finger formed from compressing massive amounts of an'uuto essence. It can greatly amplify natural an'uuto powers, but it was created expressly for transforming hollows into heipomian by saturating them with an'uuto essence, although it could be used for similar effects on other life forms.

* * *

_Author's notes: I personally hate the spelling Soi Fon, being an enthusiast of the Mandarin languge (presumably what Tite Kubo was aiming for with her name, since it sure isn't Japanese). _


	8. Bloodthirst

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

_Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**8. ****ブラッドサースト**

**8. Bloodthirst **

Seia Kazama sat at her ornate obsidian desk, pouring over _The Complete History of the World of Darkness, Volume 874_. She had been working on the entire series for centuries now and she still wasn't anywhere near close to finishing. The reason she kept at it was her appreciation for the historical, and she knew it was a good idea to be familiar with the history of her benefactors in the World of Darkness. She smiled; how she would've filled the newspaper with fascinating articles on the World of Darkness' history were she still in charge of newspaper back in Seireitei! Seia had to admit, she missed those days sometimes.

Seia looked up and adjusted her spectacles. Across from her, Tara Niou examined the report Prince Resu had written, Gokuumaru dangling from her sash. Suzuko Nouhara was peering over her shoulder, following Tara with interest. Seia smiled; Suzuko was such still such a curious little ball of energy even after all these years.

"So now they know Resu's connection to our assault on Karakura Town?" Suzuko asked, her pretty green eyes wide open.

"Indeed," Tara answered without looking up from the report.

"Isn't that a bad thing?"

A smirk crossed Tara's pale face. "On the contrary, I want Soul Society to know about Resu and the an'uuto, just as long as they know we're aiming for Karakura Town. Resu craves attention, and I counted on that imbecile to brag that he was behind the assault and would continue to attack Karakura Town to any shinigami who came down to investigate."

"So what now?" asked Suzuko. "What happens next?"

"We let Resu do as he pleases," Tata responded simply. "We let him take more and more an'uuto to attack the town until he has Soul Society's undivided attention."

Suzuko's eyes sparkled. "Oh," she said. "Does this mean Resu's gonna borrow Kagemaru?"

Seia was taken aback. "Kagemaru?" she gasped. She couldn't believe Suzuko would suggest such a thing. "Suzuko, you know Kagemaru's strength," she admonished.

"Seia's correct," Tara said blandly.

"But Kagemaru's getting grumpy!" Suzuko said. She looked fearful. "Kagemaru's scary when he's grumpy." Her words were a frightened whisper.

"You know he won't hurt you," Tara said, her tone casual. She looked up and smiled suggestively at Suzuko. "Would you like for Seia and I to keep you company though? We'll keep you safe."

Seia recognized the look in Tara's eye. _Already?_ she thought, an eyebrow raised. _That was a nice little threesome yesterday. Something's got her excited._ Sometimes Tara was just insatiable, especially when she was up to something. Nothing got her hot like a plan coming together.

"I'd…like that very much," Suzuko said. She glanced away from Tara and lowered her head submissively. Her smile was coy. Seia knew what was coming.

Tara pushed her chair back and slowly stood up. Smiling darkly, she moved behind Suzuko and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, slowly rubbing them. Seia's pulse quickened as Tara's hands moved from Suzuko's shoulders to her perky breasts and began to fondle them lovingly. Suzuko smiled and her head dropped back, exposing her throat. Tara stooped down and started kissing a line down Suzuko's tender neck. She gave a long kiss over the jugular, and Seia saw a thin trickle of blood escape from Tara's mouth. Suzuko had gone limp in Tara's arms and moaned lustfully. Tara's eyes flicked up to Seia's own, giving her an inviting look. Seia smiled in response and got out of her seat. She couldn't resist when their feedings became erotic.

_I'll let Suzuko drink from me later today,_ Seia thought, heightening her arousal. She moved beside Suzuko and cupped one of her breasts, giving her a squeeze. She brought her other hand between the younger girl's legs, running her fingers over her sex. Because of Suzuko's robe Seia couldn't feel anything, but she knew Suzuko must've been getting very wet. Seia was getting pretty wet herself.

Tara detached herself from Suzuko's neck and licked up the blood leaking from the puncture wounds. She turned Suzuko's head and kissed her forcefully. Suzuko's neck was exposed to Seia now. She licked her lips and fangs lustfully, and sank her fangs into Suzuko's throat.

Seia could acutely feel the beating of Suzuko's heart. She sipped at the precious liquid, relishing the exquisite flavor. Blissfully she closed her eyes. In the World of Darkness one of the most intimate acts all of all was to drink the blood of a loved one directly from the body. Sometime she missed her old life in Soul Society and questioned the choice she made, but it was moments like these where she forgot her old life entirely, that she reveled in her new one. The power, the longevity, the entirely new way of looking at the world through an'uuto eyes, even the ever-present need to drink blood and eat flesh; it was all very much worth giving up her life as a shinigami.

* * *

Rangiku flexed her fingers. Her gigai flexed its fingers along with her. Satisfied with that, she patted her cheeks, then caressed her breasts. _No change here,_ she thought. _This gigai's perfect to the last detail._

She was dressed in the uniform of Ichigo Kurosaki's high school, in case she needed to attend there while undercover. She had to admit, it looked extremely flattering on her. She couldn't even fully button her shirt over her bosom. It was a lot better than some boring old shikaushou!

"Man, it's been a while since I last was here," Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd Seat of the 12th Division, said, peering around. It was a cheerful, sunny day in Karakura Town. There wasn't any sign of the invasion that supposedly took place the night before. "I hope those monsters really show up; I've need to work my aggression on something since Iba's not here to spar with."

"I think it's awfully drab here," said 5th Seat of the 12th Division Yumichika Ayasegawa. He ran a hand through his immaculate, shining hair. "I could give some redecorating tips. Make this place much more pleasant to look at."

"I hope I can get my old job back," said Hanatarou Yamada, 7th Seat of the 4th Division and leader of the 14th Relief Squad. "Sure customers were pushy and rude, but I felt like I was making just as much a difference there as I do in Soul Society!"

"What was that job?" Madarame asked without looking at Yamada.

"Oh, it was a convenience store worker!" Yamada brightened. "You think that could help with our mission?"

"Sure," Ikkaku said casually, scratching his bald, shiny head. "Bring us snacks when we get hungry, okay?"

Yamada looked crushed. "Is that all you think I'm good for?" he gurgled miserably.

"Of course not," Hitsugaya said sternly. "You're here to provide medical support when we need it."

Rangiku smiled. She was glad her captain would try to cheer poor Yamada up. His manner wasn't really the best for cheering people up though. This called for a more feminine touch. "Yamada," she said sweetly, "you're a very valuable addition to our team. None of us can heal like you can."

Yamada went back to being cheerful almost in an instant. "I'll do my best!" He saluted energetically.

"Any idea of where we're gonna stay?" asked Renji Abarai, lieutenant of the 6th Division. "I stayed with Kisuke Urahara the last time I was here, but there's no way he's going to let us all sleep at his place."

"Don't worry," Rangiku chirped. "I can charm my way into any establishment. We'll have a place to stay in no time!" She smiled brightly.

"Please try to refrain from removing any clothing during your charming, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya sighed. "We really don't need that kind of attention."

Rangiku smiled coyly. It was just too easy with Captain Hitsugaya. "It sounds like someone needs a little cheering up, captain." She began fiddling with the buttons on her blouse. "Just give me a second…"

Hitsugaya glared at her. "Stop it right now, Matsumoto."

"Sorry," she said. "Just trying to lighten the mood." It was the truth, actually. Rangiku was still feeling a little sad about having to leave María behind. She could've refused to come, but she had some experience in Karakura Town and it just wouldn't have been right to stay with María while her friends in Karakura town were attacked by strange monsters. She had no doubt her captain and the others were more than capable for the task, of course. Also, if she had made a big deal of staying with María then Hitsugaya would probably get suspicious of why María was so important to her. It was likely the truth about the heipomian girl would be discovered if such suspicions were raised.

"Well then," Abarai said, changing the subject, "let's just search around until we find some place good."

"Yes," Hitsugaya agreed, "let's."

The group walked off, not really sure where they were supposed to go.

* * *

Uryuu paced restlessly around his room, deep in thought. He was deeply disturbed by the recent events; his _changes_. He had been trying to gather thoughts to assess the situation reasonably, but his thoughts had been awfully hard to organize that afternoon.

"Okay, okay," he said. He was beginning to feel feverish. "Pros: I've got my powers back. I don't even need my Quincy cross now to focus. Eating meat restores my energy and relieves pain, maybe even accelerates my healing. Cons: I feel an overwhelming urge to eat meat or drink blood. Sunlight is becoming difficult to tolerate."

He stopped pacing and took deep breaths. He had no doubt now that his condition was caused when he was bitten by the shadowy creature. That was the only explanation, unless Resu had done something to him during their encounter. Uryuu doubted that was the case though.

Were any of the others bitten and infected? It didn't seem like it at school. He wasn't one to socialize closely with the other students, but he was sure he would've noticed if Kurosaki or Sado were displaying the same symptoms as himself. Ino'ue seemed fine too.

_Ino'ue!_ He realized just then, maybe she could cure him. With her powers it didn't seem like a stretch that she would be able to help his affliction. But wasn't his affliction the reason he could use his powers again?

_No,_ he decided. _As long as those creatures remain a threat then I should keep my powers, no matter what the cost!_ _Once everything's cleared up I'll have Ino'ue restore me to normal._

He sat on his bed, feeling surer of himself now. He had a general idea of what he would do, and buying cheap meat wouldn't be too much of a problem. He was loath to do so, but he could acquire blood from the hospital if he really needed it. Uryuu just hoped it wouldn't come down to that, but he had the feeling he would be caving blood the same way he had been with meat. Certainly he had savored the taste of Ino'ue's blood, and already he could feel a desire for more.

Uryuu prayed the ordeal with the shadow creatures would soon pass. He didn't want to consider what could happen if his condition continued.

* * *

_It's so lonely here,_ the adjuchas thought sadly to herself. Hueco Mundo stretched out endlessly, filled with nothing but sand and other hollows. That wasn't too much of a problem for her; the adjuchas was a big, ugly, clumsy thing with a fat body, a long snout, and huge claw-tipped paws. A gigantic hollow mole, more or less. But as long as there was sand, she could burrow with her claws and move through the soil like a fish through water. She was adept at hiding in the sand and attacking unsuspecting gillians. The adjuchas thought it was best to prey on the mindless gillians to put them out of their misery.

The adjuchas didn't know how long she had been living in Hueco Mundo, didn't know how long ago it had been when she was a simple hollow. She couldn't remember when she became a gillian or when she evolved into an adjuchas. She no longer had any memory of when she lived in the Transitory World. She wished she had a friend, but very few hollows were willing to talk to her. They mostly just tried to eat her. The adjuchas ate them instead. She had to; if she didn't the hunger would take over and she would turn back into a gillian, overwhelmed by the many hollows inside her. She would be lost forever in a storm of hunger.

Everything changed one night. It had been a fierce fight, but the adjuchas succeeded in bringing down another adjuchas. She ate him all up afterwards. She felt a little bad about it, but he had tried to eat her first.

"You are very strong," a voice said to her when she finished eating. The adjuchas looked around and saw a strange quartet standing nearby. They didn't look like hollows, or even arrancar; one of them was a woman with log black hair and bewitching purple eyes. There was a girl with long brown hair and a cheerful face. Beside her was a dark-skinned woman with small spectacles and black hair. The last, the only male, was very pale and had long fluffy white hair. Their reiatsu was very strange, unlike anything the adjuchas had encountered before.

"Who are you?" the adjuchas asked apprehensively. She was weary of how alien they felt. "Are you shinigami?"

"Once," the purple-eyed woman, apparently the leader, said cryptically. "We come to you as friends, menos. Will you please come with us?"

_Friends?_ The adjuchas could hardly believe what she was hearing. It had to be some kind of trick.

"No," she said. "This must be a trap. I'll be eaten if I follow you."

The purple-eyed woman's companion, the dark woman, shrugged. "Then don't follow us," she said. She and the others turned to walk away.

"You must not need any more power," the younger girl said. "Or friends."

The adjuchas felt a deep longing in her heart. She wanted friends more than anything. Someone, _anyone_, to relieve her of the loneliness. "No! Please, I want to have friends!" she pleaded.

"Then follow us," the leader said.

They marched off, moving through the dunes. The adjuchas noticed that the landscape was changing as they went. It was darker and strange plants were growing. Creatures that definitely weren't hollows skittered around. The air was cold and heavy, as was the reiatsu that saturated the area.

_What is this place? Where are we going?_

They came at last to a vast black building with towers stretching into the sky like horns. "This is Anheisi," the leader said. "It is our home, and home to many like yourself."

The doors opened. They entered and passed through dark halls. The adjuchas thought she glimpsed a large black circle through an open door but didn't stay to look. Finally, they stopped in a wide throne room. They were surrounded on all sides by figured hidden in darkness. The adjuchas crouched, feeling extremely vulnerable on the hard floor. It was impossible to dig her way out.

"Don't be afraid," the leader said. She held out a small black crystalline rod. It began to glow with a pulsing black light. It washed over the adjuchas. She was filled with a freezing sensation, as though her blood had turned to ice. She screamed, and her mask suddenly shattered. Her skin cracked and fell off in chunks. The adjuchas collapsed, naked and shivering, to the floor. She steadied herself, not with claws but with hands. The adjuchas gasped when she saw her skin was pink and soft again. Her hollow hole had moved from her stomach to her chest. Her face was free from that horrible hollow mask.

"Now you are part of our family and shall never be alone again," the leader stated. "Now, tell us your name."

"María," the adjuchas said. "My name is María Susana."

* * *

María opened her eyes. She blinked the sleep away a few times, then sat up. She winced at a pain that jolted through her, her body was filled with a cold emptiness, an aching sensation that filled her entire being. She felt…incomplete.

"_Oh no,_" she groaned. She realized she had been neglecting to feed properly since arriving at Soul Society and withdrawal was setting in. It wasn't so bad now, but if she didn't feed the symptoms would become much worse over time. Meat would do the trick; blood was even better. Best of all would be a soul. Eating a complete soul would keep the hunger away for a week, maybe more. But she didn't want to betray Rangiku's trust; the shinigami woman was convinced María had a good heart, and if she went off and ate a shinigami's soul then Rangiku wouldn't be able to trust her any more. Whoever she ate likely had it coming to him though; shinigami were murderers anyway. Why did Rangiku have to be one of them? Couldn't she see how ugly and terrible Soul Society really was?

_It's not her fault,_ she thought. _Rangiku was raised to accept this life. _

María groaned again; the pain was getting worse. She needed to feed and soon.

* * *

Seia walked alongside Tara and Suzuko down the halls of Anheisi. Suzuko had been cleaned up and refreshed after a drink of Seia's blood. Seia was more than happy to service dear little Suzu when she needed to.

The doors to the meeting hall opened, and the trio stepped in. Resu and the Lanjushen were already in their places, waiting for them. "Thank you for waiting," said Tara, taking her seat. Seia moved to her seat to the left of Tara while Suzuko to the seat to Tara's right.

"Our next attack on Karakura Town shall be tonight," Tara said. "As before, Prince Resu shall lead the attack."

Resu smiled. "I'm honored you think so highly of my prowess, Lady Niou." Seia resisted the urge to gag. She despised Rubihatsu's brat, but there wasn't much she could do about it. He was there partially as a way for Rubihatsu to make sure they stayed loyal to his cause, although Seia suspected their benefactor just wanted to get rid of Resu for a while.

"You won't be going alone this time, Prince Resu," Tara said. "Alba Wolf, Ox Toro, Dandy Lion, Vale Lord, Estrella Mort, Sank Schultz, and Rank Schultz shall accompany you. We will refrain from sending hya'an'uuto with you this time."

Ox Toro grinned, a bloodthirsty gleam in his beady eyes. "Finally! A worthy job of our power!" he declared with his usual bravado.

Alba nodded slowly but didn't answer. She was staring at the tabletop, drumming her fingers listlessly. Her eyes were sad. _She's still upset about Susana,_ Seia thought.

"Why don't you take your feelings out on any shinigami who get in your way, Wolf," Seia suggested to her, giving her a smile. "That might make you feel better."

"I'm sure it will," Alba said. She offered Seia a weak smile. "Thank you, Lady Kazama."

"Excuse me, Lady Niou," asked Zabell Melody, raising her hand, "but why are we attacking Karakura Town? Why is it so important?"

"That place has become very important to Soul Society as of late," Tara explained. "María Susana's betrayal is forcing us to tip our hand early, but I am confident we can gouge out Soul Society's eyes if we work now. We have been planning this for centuries, and we have the unlimited resources of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns backing us—"

"Represented by me," Resu added quickly. Seia found herself sincerely wishing Resu would get himself killed during the upcoming mission.

"—so nothing will be able to stop us now."

"Yay!" Suzuko cheered. "Down with Soul Society!"

Resu stood up. "Why don't we get ready for the trip then?"

Ox and Alda left their seats. "Gladly," Ox chuckled. "I'll gather the others. They won't miss this for the world!"

"Have fun," Seia said. "We'll be watching." She personally wanted to go with them, but she had to be patient; her time would come soon.

* * *

Orihime was having a difficult time concentrating on Tatsuki's words. As she sat in her room while Tatsuki talked to her, all she could think about was Ishida acting weird. First was that word, _zaigen_—she knew she heard that word somewhere before—and then he had sucked blood from her finger. That last thing wasn't something Ishida would normally do without a good explanation, and he had none besides he felt strange. Orihime knew that was a very bad sign.

"Orihime?"

She looked up, surprised. "Oh, sorry Tatsuki. I've just been thinking a lot," she said, apologetic.

"Still bothered by what happened today?" Tatsuki asked. She clenched her fist and growled. "If you've been scared by that…that _pervert_, then I'm gonna rip his balls off!" Her eyes were intense and Orihime thought she heard Tatsuki's teeth grinding.

"No Tatsuki!" Orihime pleaded. She felt tears form in her eyes. "Please don't be mad at Ishida! He's not normally like that! Something's just wrong with him right now."

"I dunno," Tatsuki said in a suspicious tone. "It's the quiet guys like Ishida who turn out to be stalkers and rapists."

"Rapists?" The ugly word jogged something in Orihime's memory. She remembered that scary boy Prince Resu and how he tried to do dirty, nasty things to her. What was it he had said he would do, come back for her forehead? What did that mean?

"Yeah, rapists," Tatsuki responded disgustedly. "I read all about it in this one book. It was really gross and scary. There are lots of creeps out there drooling over sweet maidens like you, Orihime. You've gotta be careful." She crossed her arms and tilted her head back, her face prideful. "Or you could let me be your bodyguard."

"Maiden…" Orihime whispered to herself. It slowly came back to her. Her eyes widened in revelation. "Maiden's head! He said—"

Orihime stood up and put her hands on her hips and assumed a serene expression. "— '_Zaigen,_ Princess Piglet. I shall return for your maiden's head. _Gaigai!_'" she said in a smug tone, and winked suggestively.

Tatsuki stared up at her, baffled. "What?" she asked.

Orihime looked down at her friend. "Oh, that's just what the evil vampire prince said to me last night." Then it hit Orihime. She realized she heard _zaigen_ from Resu first. The horror registered on her face. "Oh no…"

"What?" asked Tatsuki, now clearly worried. "What is it, Orihime?"

"The vampire prince must've done something to Ishida! It all makes sense now!" Orihime raised her finger with an air of utmost seriousness and looked Tatsuki straight in the eye. "Ishida's turning into a vampire!" she whispered. "Think about it!"

"Okay, I will," Tatsuki said, bewildered. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Tatsuki said, "Well, Orihime, if you're so afraid of vampires coming after you then maybe I could protect you from them tonight."

"Oh no!" Orihime said fretfully. "I can't put you in danger like that, Tatsuki. I wonder if a blood transfusion will cure Ishida? No, the head vampire must be defeated!"

Tatsuki sighed. "Well, if you think you can take care of yourself." She got to her feet. "I guess I'll be going now. See you later."

"Good-bye, Tatsuki," Orihime said as her friend left. "Beware of vampires!"

* * *

Light faded from the sky and the moon emerged. Resu thought it was somewhat pretty from his vantage on the rooftop of some building. With the dark sky, he was almost reminded of his home. The enticing scent of cooking meat was in the air and Resu considered going down for a bite to eat first. Catch some hamburgers, fries, and drinks from a fast food place, sit down to eat with his heipomian friends, then rampage around the town for a while, killing and maiming all who got in their way. That would be a lot of fun, actually. It had been a long time since he last had non-hollow flesh to eat.

"So, erm, are we gonna start this or what?" asked Ox impatiently. "Don't just stand there staring off into space, Prince Resu."

"Oh, I apologize," Resu responded.

Rank Shultz wringed his hands. "C'mon!" he demanded. "I gotta practice my stabbing! When are we gonna get to the killing?" He paced around, making strange high-pitched sounds to himself.

"Patience, brother," Sank Shultz admonished. "All good things come in time." The older of the Shultz brothers was leaning back against a wall, arms crossed coolly. "Ah, at last to prove our worth to the great Prince Resu."

Dandy Lion smiled as he tapped his fingers together. "Yes, Sank, I believe all shall go well for us tonight."

Alba and Estrella Mort said nothing. Both of them were looking over the side of the building, watching the humans walk by below.

Vale Lord tapped his foot while looking up at the stars overhead. "So how long do we need to wait?"

Resu turned to his cohorts and smiled. "Oh, I suppose we can begin now. Kill everyone with high reiatsu, unless it's an orange-haired girl. I want her myself."

The heipomian stood up together, looking eager. Then they darted off in separate directions. Resu stood still and inhaled the night air deeply. _Tonight, Princess Piglet, I shall come for you once more!_

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

Seia Kazama

Seia Kazama (笠間 聖阿 (かざま せいあ) _Kazama Seia_)

Height: 169 cm

Weight: 54 kg

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Gold

Appearance: Seia is a tall, slim woman with straight hair that falls past her shoulders. Her skin is dark and her face is long and serious. She has a very curvy figure and has a large bosom.

Attire: Seia prefers a black robe with gold trim tied with a gold sash. Her zanpakutou, Shoujahitsumetsu, hangs from her sash to her left side.

Personality: Seia is a strong-willed, independent-minded woman with a passion for the historical. She loves and respects Tara Niou and her seriousness makes a foil for her perky counterpart Suzuko Nouhara. The three of them are involved in a loving ménage à trois. Like Tara and Suzuko, Seia believes embracing the dark influence makes her superior to others.

**Anyetuan**

Anyetuan (暗夜団 (アンイエートゥアン) _An'ieetuan_, _lit._ Dark Night Organization) is the organization founded by Tara Niou, Suzuko Nouhara, Seia Kazama, and Prince Resu. The headquarters of Anyetuan is and evil looking building called Anheisi (暗黒寺 (アンヘイスー) _Anheisuu_, _lit_. Temple of Darkness), which was prefabricated in the World of Darkness and moved to Hueco Mundo. There are three ranks in Anyetuan: Hongtiankong (紅天空 (ホンティエンコン) _Hontienkon_, _lit_. Red Open Sky), Huangyishen (黄翼神 (ホアンイーシェン) _Hoan'iishen_, _lit_. Yellow Winged God), and Lanjushen (藍巨神 (ランジューシェン) _Ranjuushen_, _lit_. Blue Giant God). Hongtiankong is the lowest rank while Lanjushen is the highest rank. The Hongtiankong uniform is a red jacket or blouse with black trim and white trousers or skirt. The Huangyishen uniform is a yellow jacket or blouse with black trim and white trousers or skirt. The Lanjushen uniform is a blue jacket with white trim and black trousers or a white blouse with blue trim and blue skirt.


	9. Stop at Nothing

* * *

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

_Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**9. ****ストップ・アット・ナッシング**

**9. Stop at Nothing **

Suzuko had always looked up to Tara. Ever since the day she first laid eyes her, Suzuko was smitten by the dark woman. Even many years later, when some other memories of Soul Society were beginning to fade, Suzuko could still perfectly recall the time when she pined for Tara.

When Suzuko had joined the ranks of the 12th Division one of the first things she noticed was the great beauty of their captain, Tara Niou, as she gave a speech encouraging the new recruits. The beauty of Lieutenant Seia Kazama was also considerable, but Suzuko was far more interested in Captain Niou. Her soft creamy skin, large gentle violet eyes, long silky black hair, delicate willowy figure, round breasts, and full hips enchanted the young girl. More than her beauty though was her air of ambitious, aristocratic elitism combined with a warm compassion for her division members.

Suzuko was determined to stand out from the crowd, to get Niou's attention in the best way possible. She threw herself into her duties, working long and hard for many years. She rose threw the ranks until she became a seated officer, eventually reaching the position of 3rd seat. Niou definitely noticed her efforts by then, for she believed strongly in ambition and talent.

"You're such a hard worker," Niou would sometimes tell her, patting her shoulder gently and smiling warmly at her. "You could be our mascot. You're an inspiration to the entire division." On days when Niou said such kind words to her, Suzuko would go to bed, tears of happiness running down her cheeks. Every nice word, every smile, every look—Suzuko felt she was melting warmly on the inside. She was head-over-heels in love with her captain, and longed to tell Niou how she felt. Suzuko often rehearsed long, heartfelt confessions of love in private, and would dream of the day they would admit their love to each other. Occasionally there would be nightmares of Niou rejecting her, but these were few and far in between.

After a week of building up her courage, Suzuko decided it was finally time to confront Captain Niou. No more backing off at the last minute—it was going to be the real thing. She even bought a bouquet of roses to present to her beloved Tara.

Suzuko walked around to the 12th Division training grounds. Niou always spent some time alone during the evening there; it was the perfect opportunity for Suzuko to meet her alone.

When Suzuko found Niou she was annoyed to find Lieutenant Kazama already with her. She was leaning against a tree, talking to the captain. Suzuko stayed out of sight, waiting for Nouhara to leave.

The talk continued for a while, but Suzuko didn't listen—at least not until she heard Niou say, "I love you." That terrible utterance gave the conversation Suzuko's undivided attention. She stared, not daring to breathe or even blink. She could only watch helplessly as the object of her affection began to run her hands over Kazama's body.

"No, please don't Tara," Kazama said, her face flushed.

"This is a serious problem you have," Niou said.

"I know, I know," Kazama said. "It's just—My parents were so strict. I'm still uncomfortable."

Niou brushed a strand of Kazama's face away and smiled. "Then we'll just do what we always do."

The feeling of horror grew in Suzuko's stomach with every word she heard, but what happened next was the worst of all. Niou moved in close to Kazama, pressing up against her body and pushing her to the tree. Niou then brought her lips to Kazama's. The two kissed long and hard.

Suzuko collapsed to her knees, her dreams crushed. She could only stare blankly at the ground. She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard footsteps from far away approach her. "Nouhara, is something the matter?" Niou asked. "What's wrong?"

Suzuko looked up at her captain and lieutenant. Shaking, she picked up the bouquet and got to her feet. "I—I just came here to—to…" She burst into tears, unable to hold it back any more. She flung the bouquet away and ran until she reached her room. She threw herself onto her bed and sobbed until her fell asleep.

Suzuko continued to carry out her duties, but whereas before her perky personality and sunny outlook made her a favorite throughout the 12th Division she had become a soulless robot since her heartbreak. She rarely spoke or interacted in a meaningful manner with anyone. She wasn't the only one who changed; Niou and Kazama became very quiet too. The change disturbed the division.

Eventually, Niou paid Suzuko a visit. "Unfortunately," the captain said with no small amount of regret in her voice, "we have concluded that you are no longer fit for work in the 12th Division. We believe it would be best if you transferred to a division more suited to you. The 2nd Division has been recommended, and they would be glad to accept you."

"I see," Suzuko said dully. "It's for the best, I guess."

Niou gave her concerned look. "Please don't think I'm trying to get rid of you. You just…need to see other people."

Suzuko nodded, barely listening.

"You're an excellent officer," Niou said, more sternly this time. "I want—I _order_ you to show the same level of commitment to the 2nd Division that you've shown to us. You'll make lieutenant, or even captain, some day. I know it." She took Suzuko hands and looked her straight in the eye. Suzuko was startled out of her melancholy by the sudden action.

"You can do it," Niou said.

Suzuko nodded, feeling better for the first time in days, and smiled weakly. "Yes, Captain Niou."

She did transfer out to the 2nd Division soon after. She gave it her all, taking Niou's words to heart. Years passed. Lieutenant Kazama left the 12th Division for the 9th Division and became captain. For Suzuko, Niou prediction came to pass; she ascended to lieutenant in quick order. Through her hard work she realized her bankai. When she took the captain proficiency test Niou and Kazama were there to recommend her. She passed on her first try.

It was one of the happiest moments of Suzuko's life. Not _the_ happiest—that would only be when Niou said she loved her. It all turned out well in the end, with Niou really telling Suzuko that she loved her _and_ Kazama. Suzuko had to say that was the happiest moment of her life. It also changed her life forever, and as far a Suzuko was concerned it was for the better.

"Suzuko?"

Seia's pleading voice brought Suzuko back to the present. The earlier blood drinking by Tara and Seia must've left her feeling a little light-headed. She was sitting in a chair by the entrance to Anheisi. The darkness-tainted land could be seen outside, strange growths turning the wasteland of Hueco Mundo into a disquieting fungal garden.

"Sorry Seia," Suzuko said, giving her eyes a rub. "I kinda drifted off. What is it?"

Seia looked embarrassed. "Erm, do you feel up to, well, going up to my room and—"

"We just had some fun a little while ago!" Suzuko pointed out. "I'm not up for it now. I'm still recovering from what you and Tara just did to me."

"Please?" Seia begged. "I—I really need it."

"It's getting to be every day now," Suzuko said. "I don't wanna have sex with you every day. Give me time to rest or get someone else."

"But I need it," Seia said pitifully. She glanced away, looking ashamed of herself. "I don't know why but I've been feeling very strong sexual urges lately and I haven't been able to satisfy them for very long."

"I dunno what to do," Suzuko said. "That actually sounds kinda fun, but maybe another time."

"Fine!" Seia spat. She marched out the door and past the twisted plants, unsheathing her zanpakutou as she went. "_Make them weep, Shoujahitsumetsu!_"

"Poor Seia," Tara said from behind Suzuko. Suzuko looked her shoulder at Tara and smiled with delight.

"Tara! Do you know what's wrong with Seia?"

"Indeed," Tara said in a scholarly tone. "She has developed hypersexuality as part of her transformation. Her sex drive is now over stimulated and it's harder for her to achieve satisfaction."

"Transformation?" asked Suzuko, watching as Seia took her frustration out on strange plants and curious hollows with Shoujahitsumetsu's shining blade of light. "You mean when we turned into an'uuto?"

"Precisely. The transformation into an an'uuto apparently warps the original personality to a degree. Not enough to make a person unrecognizable but enough to tell the person acts a little differently."

"Oh," Suzuko said. It made sense when she thought about it. So much sense that she wondered why she didn't notice it before. Looking at Tara, she realized she was very different from before she was an an'uuto. She herself had changed a lot since becoming an an'uuto. It was a bit of a shock to think so. Not that she minded all that much—as long as she knew Tara loved her she was okay with any changes in personality.

* * *

"You know, I'd love for you guys to stay here," said Kisuke Urahara apologetically, "_but…_"

"We don't want freeloaders taking up space!" Jinta Hanakari interrupted.

Urahara raised his hand and smiled. "Blunt and tactless, but otherwise that is the truth."

Rangiku lowered her head, discouraged. Not that she seriously expected Urahara to except them all, but it was worth a shot.

Rukia Kuchiki was sitting behind Urahara, reading something. "Sorry guys," she said, still reading her papers. "I'd love to share Kurosaki's home with you, but I claimed that closet as my own and I'm not letting anyone else touch it."

"Intelligence is a higher priority than comfort right now," Hitsugaya said sternly. "We need all the information on our enemy as possible."

"Let me see now," Urahara said, tilting his head up and thinking hard about it. "Well, they eat people, they have the intelligence of animals, and are very tenacious."

"And?" Hitsugaya pressed. "There's more, right?"

"That's all I know, I'm afraid." Urahara shrugged. "Sorry."

If the situation weren't so serious, Rangiku would've laughed at the look of total dismay that formed on her captain's face.

"Oh, I just remembered something else," Urahara remarked.

"Yes, what?"

"Their corpses dissolve sometime after death. Hence the reason I'm not currently inspecting any corpses for more information."

Hitsugaya sighed and rubbed his temples. "We'll try to capture a few alive for you to study if we see any then. We really need all the information we can—"

Rangiku felt a reiatsu roll over her, a cold crushing sensation different from any reiatsu she felt before. She eyes widened. Everyone else felt it too.

"This is different from last night, isn't it?" Rangiku asked.

"Yeah," Rukia answered. She put her papers down and stood up. "We'd better get ready."

The shinigami all piled out of the store and glanced around. Rangiku couldn't see anything out of the ordinary but she could feel the chilling reiatsu. No, wait; she could discern multiple targets, about seven in all. They were spreading out across Karakura Town. One with a very strong reiatsu was still headed their way.

"We'll see to the others!" Madarame said. He, Ayasegawa, Abarai, Yamada, and Rukia ran off in different directions, following the other targets.

Hitsugaya quickly discarded his gigai. Rangiku followed suit, springing forth from the artificial human form. They didn't have to wait long; the invader landed heavily before them. It was a towering muscular figure that, to Rangiku's shock, was a woman. She was wearing an open ragged blue jacket, black trousers, and black boots. The woman didn't wear a shirt, and instead had gauze bandages wrapped tightly around her cannonball-like breasts. A round hole was positioned just above the woman's navel. Her skin was dark and her hair was tied into a long plait. Most shocking of all was her face: Rangiku was disturbed to see it bore a very strong resemblance to her own.

The woman smiled malevolently at them. "Good evening," she said. "I hope you can provide me with some fun before dying tonight."

* * *

The air was thick with the presence of an'uuto. Mion Hoshi had hoped it was just an accidental entry, but some how she doubted that.

She had been eating dinner at a restaurant when she left the an'uuto enter Karakura Town. It wasn't like the night before, with a small horde of hya'an'uuto; no, these were shamuan'uuto. Just the thing to ruin her night.

"This town's in deep shit unless I do something," she muttered to herself.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

Suzuko Nouhara (能原 寿々娘 (のうはら すずこ) _Nouhara Suzuko_)

Height: 150 cm

Weight: 38 kg

Hair color: Blonde

Eye color: Green

Appearance: Suzuko is a short woman with a round, girlish face with large eyes, a small nose, and a wide smile. Her hair is tied into a braided ponytail. Suzuko's figure is flexible and athletic with round, perky breasts and wide hips.

Attire: Suzuko usually wears a black robe with gold trim. Underneath she wears a skimpy uniform with the shoulders and back exposed.

Personality: Suzuko appears to be very cheerful and optimistic. In truth Suzuko is highly aggressive and dangerously unstable. She is obsessed with her lover Tara Niou and depends on her for emotional stability, to the point where she happily considers herself Tara's slave or pet. Suzuko's loyalty and her lethal abilities make her one of Anyetuan's most valuable members.

* * *

_Author's notes: This chapter was originally meant to be much longer, but I cut it down considerably. The rest of it will be used next chapter, which will be mostly action. _

_Since I love to pick out voice actors for my original characters, here is part one of my choices for who would play who._

**María Susana**

Japanese: Ami Koshimizu (Nina Wong in _Mai Otome_, Kallen Stadtfeld in _Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch_)

English: Kate Higgins (Sakura Haruno in _Naruto_, C.C. in _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion_)

**Tara Niou**

Japanese: Rie Tanaka (Suigintou in _Rozen Maiden_, Tomoe Marguerite in _Mai Otome_)

English: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Kurenai Yuhi in _Naruto_, Cornelia Li Britannia in _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion_)

**Seia Kazama**

Japanese: Mamiko Noto (Hazuki Azuma in _Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito_, Yakumo Tsukamoto in _School Rumble_)

English: Tara Platt (Temari in _Naruto_, Barasuisho in _Rozen Maiden Träumend_)

**Suzuko Nouhara**

Japanese: Aya Hirano (Lumière in _Kiddy Grade_, Misa Amane in _Death Note_)

English: Melissa Fahn (Rika Nonaka in _Digimon: Digital Monsters_, Tia in _Zatch Bell!_)

**Prince Resu**

Japanese: Nozomu Sakaki (Eriol Hiiragizawa in _Cardcaptor Sakura_, Mello in _Death Note_)

English: Sam Riegal (Toutaku Chuuei in _Ikki Tousen_, Clovis La Britannia in _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion_)

**Mion Hoshi**

Japanese: Emi Shinohara (Makoto Kino in _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon_, Kaho Mizuki in _Cardcaptor Sakura_)

English: Julianne Buescher (Anko Mitarashi in _Naruto_, Alm in _Zatch Bell!_)

**Alba Wolf**

Japanese: Yumi Touma (Urd in _Aa! Megami-Sama_, Helba in _.hack/Sign_)

English: Wendee Lee (Faye Valentine in _Cowboy Bebop_, Angel in _The Big O_)

**Estrella Mort**

Japanese: Takahiro Sakurai (Shirosaki in _Rozen Maiden Träumend_, Suzaku Kururugi in _Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch_)

English: David Hurwitz (Mello in _Death Note_)

**Vale Lord**

Japanese: Mamoru Miyano (Light Yagami in _Death Note_, Setsuna F Seiei in _Kidou Senshi Gundam 00_)

English: Brad Swaile (Amuro Ray in _Mobile Suit Gundam_, Light Yagami in _Death Note_)

**Ox Toro**

Japanese: Iizuka Shouzou (Ryuu Hosei in _Kidou Senshi Gundam_, Nappa in _Dragon Ball Z_)

English: Michael Dobson (Nappa in _Dragon Ball Z_, Armonia Justin Beyondormason in _Death Note_)

**Dandy Lion**

Japanese: Houchuu Ootsuka (Jason Beck in _The Big O_, George Miyagusuku in _Blood+_)

English: Yuri Lowenthal (Pip Bernadotte in _Hellsing Ultimate_, Suzaku Kururugi in _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion_)

**Sank Schultz**

Japanese: Takehito Koyasu (Rhadamanthys the Celestial Fierce Star Wyvern in _Saint Seiya_, Takuma Saiou in _Yuugiou Duel Monsters G.X._)

English: Patrick Seitz (Xaki in _DearS_, Charles Beams in _Eureka Seven_)

**Rank Schultz**

Japanese: Kazuya Nakai (l'Olonnais Zorro in _One Piece_, Shizuka Doumeki in _xxxHolic_)

English: Josh Phillips (Jan Valentine in _Hellsing_, Genjou Kakouton in _Ikki Tousen_)


	10. Destroy the Opposition

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

_Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**10. ****デストロイ・ザ・オポジション**

**10. Destroy the Opposition **

Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu felt the invaders immediately. Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad immediately left their homes to get together; there was strength in numbers after all. Uryuu cursed the sense of foreboding and resumed his frantic sewing.

_Just a little more,_ he thought, a touch feverishly. _Just a little more and then I'll be finished! _

A few deft strokes later and his project was finally finished. He had spent most of the day on it. It was a little rushed but he was satisfied with the results.

"Yes," Uryuu whispered, picking it up. He placed it over his shoulders and left the house. He was ready for anything.

The group ran into each other as they traced the strange reiatsu. Ichigo had left his physical body. When they saw Uryuu there was a confused silence.

"What the hell is _that_, Ishida?" Ichigo asked, staring at Uryuu's clothes.

"Allow me to explain." Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "_Ahem,_" he began, "today I discovered to my boundless horror to be afflicted—no, _cursed_—with a mysterious malady. I now thirst for blood and hunger for flesh, to the exclusion of all other food. My skin burns at the touch of sunlight."

Uryuu suddenly threw his arms out in a grand, sweeping gesture, wringing his hands. "But I have received fantastic dark powers in exchange! My abilities have returned but in a corrupted new form."

"The black bow from earlier…" Chad said.

"Yes, exactly!" Uryuu confirmed. He grabbed the ends of his new black cloak and spread them like wings. "I have become a creature of the night! I have—"

"You _are_ a vampire!" Orihime gasped.

Uryuu glared at Orihime, his dramatic pacing ruined. "Yes, Ino'ue, I seem to have become a vampire. Thank you for making that clear to everyone."

Ichigo groaned. "Oh god, that story going around about you sucking blood from Ino'ue's finger at school's true, isn't it?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Uryuu answered in an embarrassed tone. "Not my proudest moment. I went straight home after that to regain my bearings and prepare myself."

"Prepare yourself? You just spent the day making yourself a Dracula cape!" Ichigo pointed out.

"Presentation is everything, you know," Uryuu answered simply.

"Guys, don't we have more important things to do?" asked Chad.

"Yes, of course," Uryuu said. He then turned and bolted away.

"Where're you going, Ishida?" Orihime called.

"I'll confront one of these guys on my own!" Uryuu called back. He vanished from sight a moment later.

"Heads up guys," Chad said, his right arm transforming into Brazo Derecha de Gigante. "Something big's coming our way."

"Get behind us Ino'ue," Ichigo instructed. Orihime nodded nervously and got out of the way.

A large muscular man appeared near by, grinning at them. He was bald and had beady gray eyes. He wore a ragged blue jacket and white trousers. An unsheathed sword was in his hand.

"Great!" the man said in a harsh, booming voice. "My first kills of the night!"

* * *

"What's wrong with looking good for a fight?" Uryuu muttered to himself as he ran through the streets, following the strange reiatsu. The nerve of that Kurosaki! Didn't he realize you had to present yourself favorably? If you didn't make a good first impression no one will take you seriously. Uryuu took that idea to heart; he not only made sure to look good for the night but he ate a lot of meat before hand and he felt great. Uryuu felt like he could take anyone on.

Even odd the androgynous boy with messy red hair and large green eyes standing in the street. He was dressed in a yellow jacket and white trousers. The jacket was slightly open, exposing the left side of the boy's chest. Half of a perfectly circular hole in his chest was visible.

Uryuu stopped in his tracks. There was no doubt that the strange boy was the one he felt earlier, but what was with the hole? Was he some sort of hollow?

"I don't understand," the boy said. "You're the same as us, I think."

"What?" Uryuu asked. Who was this stranger?

The boy turned to him. "You're an an'uuto like me, but you come with hostile intent."

He unsheathed his sword and cast a strange glance at Uryuu.

"How regrettable."

* * *

Ikkaku Madarame snorted; his opponent didn't seem especially impressive. It was just some punk with a dark complexion, wild black hair, and crazed yellow eyes. He was wearing a short red jacket with black trim and black trousers, a sword hanging from his belt. The punk was grinning cockily, constantly tilting his head at funny angles, as if that were supposed to make him look badass or something.

"I wonder," Madarame said with a grin, "if you'll be any fun."

The enemy's response was to whip out a sword and charge straight for him. "I'm Rank Schultz! Prepare do die!" he shrieked maniacally.

_Kinda like the attitude though,_ Madarame thought as he unsheathed Hoozukimaru.

* * *

Yumichika Ayasegawa found his target soon enough, and was delighted when he did. It was a pale young man with long shining blond hair and arrogantly handsome features. He was wearing a stylish red jacket and white trousers ensemble.

"Marvelous," the man said when he saw Ayasegawa, "a shinigami has arrived!"

In a single deft movement he drew his sword from the sheath, twirled it a few times, then pointed it at Ayasegawa.

"Before we fight," Ayasegawa said, "please give me the honor of knowing your name. I must know the name of an opponent as beautiful as yourself."

A look of surprise passed over the man's face. Then he chuckled and smiled. "Thank you, kind shinigami. You are extraordinarily beautiful yourself. I am Sank Schultz. What is your name?"

Ayasegawa smiled and unsheathed Fuji Kujaku. He rather liked Sank so far. "Ayasegawa. Yumichika Ayasegawa."

* * *

Renji Abarai moved cautiously down the narrow alley, Zabimaru at the ready. He knew one of the invaders was nearby.

"A pity," a male voice said from the shadows, "I was hoping for a sweet young girl. I hear you have some very beautiful women in Soul Society."

"Where are you?" Renji called angrily. "Show yourself!"

A men emerged from the darkness, his sword readied too. He was tall, thin, and had dark skin. He wore a yellow jacket and white trousers. The man grinned confidently.

"Hey there. I'm Dandy Lion," the man said. "I'm glad I'll be killing a lieutenant. That will look great on my track record."

"Boast about it _after_ the fight first, okay?" Renji growled.

* * *

"I shouldn't even bother killing you; there's no glory in defeating such a little nobody."

Rukia Kuchiki glared at her opponent, a spiky-haired young man in a yellow outfit standing on a streetlight. He was smiling nastily at her. He looked most detestable.

Rukia readied Sode no Shirayuki. "Come and fight me, you scum!" she yelled.

* * *

"An arrancar?" Hitsugaya breathed. "How can this be? Arrancar retain fragments of their hollow masks! Why are you different?"

Rangiku knew why their enemy was different; she knew all too well. With a sense of horror, it dawned on her that the heipomian must've finally emerged because María stole their precious heidushuijing. Now María's old comrades were out for retribution.

"Who are you?" Hitsugaya demanded. "Is your being here Aizen's doing?"

The heipomian woman grinned wolfishly. Instead of answering she drew a zanpakutou that looked to be about the same size as Zenpachi Zaraki's.

"The time of Soul Society's inefficient tyranny is coming to an end," she said, pointing the blade at Hitsugaya. "I'll give you a choice: repent and change your ways or remain defiant."

Hitsugaya's eyes blazed with rage. "You dare ask a captain and lieutenant of the Gotei 13 to turn against Soul Society? You won't receive any mercy from me!" He unsheathed Hyourinmaru.

The woman gestured mockingly to him and grinned, revealing long fangs for canines. "Bring it, Whitey. When we attack Soul Society I'll make my entrance by throwing your heads at the feat of your superior."

Rangiku blinked and the woman was gone. There was the high shriek of metal clashing against metal right next to her. Her turned her head slightly. The woman had moved from her spot to right in front of Hitsugaya and tried to cut him down with her zanpakutou. He had brought Hyourinmaru up in time to block the blow. Her captain struggled against the weight his enemy was putting on him, his teeth gritted and his eyes narrowed. Hyourinmaru trembled in his hands but didn't budge.

"I'm Alba Wolf," the woman said, smiling maliciously at Hitsugaya. "Pleased to meet you."

_Alba!? _The name startled Rangiku. _This is María's former lover!?_ Rangiku couldn't believe it. Even though she was drank at the time, she remembered that María said Alba was very muscular and busty, and she was a heipomian. There couldn't be any mistake; their enemy had to be the one María spoke of.

"Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya of the 10th Division," Hitsugaya grunted, straining against the force of Alba's zanpakutou. He wasn't going to hold her back much longer it seemed. Rangiku had to do something, even if her enemy was much more powerful than her.

"_Growl, Haineko!_" she shouted fiercely. Haineko's blade dissolved into a fine cloud of ash. Rangiku directed the ash cloud at the hulking heipomian's arm. The tiny sharp particles attacked curled around Alba's mountainous bicep and constricted. Haineko's ash was sharp enough to slice through most material. Alba's arm wasn't one of those materials though.

"Wha—Hey!" Alba glanced to her arm, then looked over at Rangiku. Rangiku suddenly felt very frightened. Haineko normally was able to considerable damage even when her power was restricted. Alba wasn't even scratched though. Just how powerful were the heipomian?

"Heigangpi," Alba smirked. "My compressed reiryoku makes my skin extremely hard to penetrate."

Rangiku backed away, Haineko returning to its usual shape. What was she supposed to do again an enemy like that? She felt useless. There was only one option she had. She activated her mobile phone behind her back.

"_Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!_" Hitsugaya yelled. Hyourinmaru flashed as it unsealed, a crescent-shaped blade attached to the hilt by a chain appearing. He forced Hyourinmaru forward, pushing Alba off balance. She stumbled back, surprised.

Hitsugaya stepped back, regarding Alba cautiously. She smiled, this time without any malice. "Oh, how cute!" she exclaimed, looking genuinely impressed. "_Hyourinmaru!_ That's so similar to my zanpakutou!"

_This is the same woman who was threatening to throw our heads at Yamamoto's feet?_ Rangiku wondered, bewildered.

"That's nice to know," Hitsugaya said flatly. "If my lieutenant's zanpakutou didn't harm you then Hyourinmaru won't be of much use even like this. So I have no choice but to end this fight quickly."

"Oh?" Alba asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hitsugaya raised Hyourinmaru. "_Bankai!_" A cold blue glow surrounded the diminutive captain and the temperature dropped drastically. Ice flowed from his back, forming into broad wings and a long scaly tail. Ice covered his feet, forming into claws. Finally, an icy dragon's head formed over his sword hand.

Without a word, Hitsugaya suddenly soared into the starry sky above. Rangiku knew Hitsugaya was trying to keep the fight with Alba from causing too much devastation to the town. Hopefully no humans would be accidentally hurt in the battle.

Alba followed, moving after Hitsugaya. Stood before him in the air, face-to-face. "This is your bankai, huh?" she said. "This ought to be good."

She leveled her zanpakutou at Hitsugaya. "Let's get started then, Whitey."

"Fine then," Hitsugaya said simply.

_Please come back safe, captain,_ Rangiku thought. She was ready to request permission to have their power limits released if things got really bad.

* * *

Orihime watched as Sado and Kurosaki took the hulking man head-on. Watching them fight made her feel a little depressed; it made her feel like a burden because she couldn't take better care of herself. Sure she could attack with Tsubaki and heal injuries, but she just couldn't bring herself to really hurt anyone. She wondered why that came so easily to people like Kurosaki. Did they just have stronger constitutions than her? Or was their resolve to protect so great they were willing to go to greater lengths than her? Either way, it made Orihime feel weak and helpless.

Her two friends were holding up well against the brutish man. Kurosaki and Sado as a team made for a potent combination, although Zangetsu didn't seem to be hurting the man very much; the blade just bounced off his skin.

"Trash like you could never harm me, the great Ox Toro!" the man boasted, batting Sado away and blocking a swing from Kurosaki.

"Maybe I can't harm you the way I am now," Kurosaki grunted, "but let's see how you fare against _this! Bankai!_"

Sado stepped away from Kurosaki as he was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. It dissipated a moment later, revealing Kurosaki now dressed in a long black coat. Zangetsu had transformed into a black-bladed nodachi. Orihime gasped at the intense feeling. It was the first time she had seen Kurosaki's bankai up close. She had felt it before, when he was rescuing Rukia Kuchiki in Soul Society and when he was fighting Jin Kariya, but in both cases that had been at a distance. Up close the reiatsu was so overwhelming she felt like she was being suffocated. It didn't feel at all like Kurosaki's usual reiatsu. It frightened Orihime.

"Tensa Zangetsu," Kurosaki stated.

"You're going to hurt me by _shrinking_ your zanpakutou?" the man, Ox, laughed.

Kurosaki responded by swinging Tensa Zangetsu downward at Ox's chest. Orihime winced at the impact. Zangetsu sliced through Ox's jacket and into his chest. This time blood was drawn. Ox cried out, more in surprise than in pain. His jacket came open. Orihime was astonished to see a large round hole in Ox's midsection. Also astonishing was when he opened his mouth, Orihime could see Ox had a pair of fangs.

_A vampire with a hollow hole!_ she thought. _Does that mean he's a vampire hollow or a hollow vampire? Is it really possible to bite a hollow and turn it into a vampire? _

Ishida's vampirism made sense if there really was an invasion of vampires. Maybe Prince Resu was going around turning people into vampires. Orihime wondered if Ishida sucking blood from her finger would be enough to turn her into a vampire. Would she grow fangs and run around in a black cape, biting people at night? That actually sounded kind of fun, but she didn't think people would appreciate it if she bit them. Still, the idea of biting Kurosaki sounded nice. She could picture it clearly: They would be standing in a graveyard, the full moon shining overhead. He would be in a sort of trance as she sank her fangs into the side of his neck. She could also see that with Tatsuki. Tatsuki would be wearing a long white nightgown that fluttered in the breeze. She would take Tatsuki and…Wait, did vampires bite victims of the same sex? Orihime couldn't remember from the old Universal movies she saw with her brother.

By the time Orihime realized she had zoned out, the battle seemed to be over. Ox was on the pavement, bleeding but alive. Zangetsu had returned to normal.

"I don't believe it," he groaned. "I swear, I'm gonna remember this. I'll come back later and then you'll be sorry you were ever born!"

Kurosaki kicked the man in the side, provoking a pained yell from him. "Shut up, baldy," Kurosaki muttered. "What the hell are you anyway?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, kid," Ox sneered.

"If this is the best these guys have to offer then we're not gonna have much problem with the others," said Chad.

"It was only when I broke out bankai that we had an edge though," Kurosaki said. "If all of these guys were that tough then we're gonna have trouble."

* * *

"That was boring," Madarame said, inspecting Hoozukimaru. Rank was impaled on the end of it, very much dead. Apparently no one told him that charging headlong into a guy holding a spear wasn't an especially good idea. His skin had been tough to crack, but a little effort went a long way.

Madarame shook Hoozukimaru until the corpse dislodged and fell to the pavement. He resealed his zanpakutou and walked off to see if there was a more challenging fight going on.

* * *

Sank swung his sword across. Ayasegawa blocked with the unreleased Fuji Kujaku, catching the sword with the hinged blades. He struggled against Sank's strength.

Sank smiled, forcing forward. "It's been a fun night, but it's time to end this."

"Yes," Ayasegawa said, smiling back, "I agree. _Rip madly, Ruri'iro Kujaku!_"

Fuji Kujaku's four scythe-like blades transformed into long glowing vines with leaves like peacock feathers. The vines sprung out and snaked through the air. Seeking their target, they wrapped around the enemy's slender waist and constricted his limbs. Surprise registered on Sank's face. "What is this?" he demanded as flowers began to bloom rapidly along the vines. "What are you doing?"

"Do you feel it?" Ayasegawa asked. "That's the sensation of all your reiryoku being drained! Those flowers bloom as they take in your reiryoku!"

The vines vanished, leaving Sank to fall trembling to one knee, dropping his sword. "You…you…"

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," Ayasegawa said as Ruri'iro Kujaku returned to its sealed form. "You played for the wrong team." He brought back his zanpakutou then swung forward in a long arc. The blades slashed through Sank's throat. Blood spurted like a fountain from the torn neck. Sank clutched futilely at the wound, then collapsed face first to the sidewalk, gurgling.

"Too bad," Ayasegawa said with a shrug. "This could've been a lot more interesting if you'd fought harder from the beginning."

* * *

Hihiou Zabimaru snaked through the alley, chomping down where Dandy was a moment before. Renji knew he missed again though. His enemy was very swift and Hihiou Zabimaru's movement was hampered in the narrow space.

"Let's make things a little easier for you," Dandy taunted. He had appeared standing in the air, looking down at Renji. "Come up here and you'll have _all_ the room you'll need to hit me."

Renji leapt up until he was level with Dandy. They were now high above Karakura Town. He didn't like the situation—they may have been more room for Hihiou Zabimaru to maneuver but Dandy was so fast that it might not matter much. Still, it was an advantage, brief as it was.

Renji swung Hihiou Zabimaru again. The massive zanpakutou slithered through the air, trying to bite down on Dandy. The nimble opponent danced out of the way, not showing any concern.

"Your zanpakutou is fast for something so large," he said, "but it's still slow compared to me."

"How about actually fighting instead of running all over the place like a coward!" Renji yelled. Dandy was easily the most annoying enemy he fought in recent memory, and the guy's insistence on dodging but not fighting was making Renji lose his temper.

"You want to see what I'm like when I'm serious?" Dandy asked with a half smile. "For real? Okay. Your funeral, pal. I'll unseal my zanpakutou _just_ for you."

Renji was stunned. "Zanpakutou?" he repeated. Was he hearing correctly? Dandy didn't seem to be a shinigami. Perhaps he was one of those vizard he heard about?

Dandy drew the blade from his sheath and grinned at Renji. Renji now saw two prominent fangs jutting from Dandy's upper teeth. "_Burn, Datusha!_" Dandy and his sword, Datusha, suddenly ignited, flames bursting from Dandy's exposed skin, mainly his head and hands. Renji saw the zanpakutou's shape warp and bend into a stout saber.

"Better now?" Dandy laughed. He pulled Datusha back and charged at Renji. Renji was getting ready to attack when Dandy stopped abruptly and pointed at him.

"_Huoqiu!_" Dandy exclaimed, and several fireballs erupted from his burning hand. Renji had no time to react. He cried out as the fireballs impacted against him.

"Well?" Dandy jeered. "What do you think? You wanted me to fight."

"Damn it," Renji swore. He could tell it was going to be a difficult battle.

* * *

Rukia collapsed, her entire body feeling like a huge bruise. In spite of her best kidou techniques her enemy had soundly defeated her. What disturbed her was that all of his techniques were reminiscent of hollow abilities, like cero. They had different names than she was used to, but she was sure he had used hollow powers against her.

"You're not even worth killing," the man said dismissively. Rukia watched, smoldering with rage, as he walked away from her, like she was nothing.

_You're gonna regret letting me live, you bastard,_ she thought.

* * *

As the fight went on, Uryuu quickly discovered that while his powers were back, he had to utilize them differently. It should've come naturally to fire a bow again, but it felt alien now. It was like he had never fired a bow in his life. This would be bad enough if he were just practicing, but when someone was trying to kill him…

A shot fired erratically past the androgynous boy. Uryuu was breathing heavily now. He was tired but very angry too. All that excitement over seemingly regaining his powers only to be let down again. It was like fate was mocking him.

"You are truly are pitiful," the boy said, pityingly rather than mockingly. "Trying to fight me when you don't even know how to use your powers."

"He doesn't but _I_ do," said a girl's voice. Uryuu's eyes widened when he saw who was speaking. Behind the androgynous boy was a girl in her late teens in a disheveled school uniform with a battered leather jacket draped over her shoulders. She had a hard face and wild light blonde hair that looked bleached. A cigarette dangled from the corner of her frowning mouth. She was pointing a finger at the back of the boy's head.

_Where did she come from?_ Uryuu wondered. It was like she just magically appeared behind his enemy.

"Make a move and I'll blow your damn head off," the girl stated. Her voice was rough, matching her crude manner of speaking.

"Are all you Transitory World an'uuto this hostile?" the boy asked.

"I don't care what your problem with the kid is, but he's coming with me!" the girl said.

"What?" Uryuu said. He didn't really want to go with some strange delinquent girl that popped up out of nowhere. Was she there to save him or was it some sort of weird kidnapping?

"Who are you working for?" the girl pressed. "It isn't normal for shamuan'uuto like you to waltz into the Transitory World."

"Our politics shouldn't concern a Transitory World inhabitant like you," the boy responded blandly. He didn't seem bothered at all.

"They do when you invade my home dimension!" the girl growled.

"What exactly is going on here?" Uryuu asked, getting frustrated at being kept out of the loop."

"_Rin'yan!_" the girl cried. From her finger came a sphere-shaped blast of glowing energy, which discharged directly into the boy's head. The boy fell forward with a sigh. Uryuu couldn't tell if he was dead or not.

The girl ran past Uryuu. "Come on kid!" she called back. "Follow me!"

Uryuu decided he had no choice. He followed the girl, affording himself one quick look back. The boy was getting up again, so he wasn't harmed.

Uryuu sped up.

* * *

"Please! We need the limit release _now!_" Rangiku pleaded into her mobile phone. She watched helplessly as Hitsugaya plummeted from the sky, crashing to the pavement in a flurry of ice crystals. A shadow fell over her. Rangiku turned around slowly, already knowing whom the shadow belonged to.

"Your captain wasn't too impressive," Alba smirked. "I gave him a chance to see the error of his ways but he just wouldn't listen."

Rangiku swung Haineko at Alba, but the huge heipomian simply batted it out of Rangiku's hands. Her zanpakutou landed with a clatter some distance away.

"I guess you aren't gonna listen either."

Alba drew her massive zanpakutou and raised it over her head. Rangiku stared at it, coldly realizing that she was about to die. "It's too bad I have to do this," she said. "I don't like killing actually, but you shinigami sure like to, so I don't feel nearly as bad as when I have to kill anything else."

She swung the zanpakutou down. Rangiku shut her eyes and prepared for the inevitable. _It was good knowing you captain,_ she thought. _María, I'm sorry I won't be coming back…_

There was sharp scream of metal striking metal. Seconds passed and Rangiku didn't feel any pain. She opened her eyes. Before her was a head of spiky brown hair. Even from the back, the head was very familiar…

"María?" Rangiku whispered.

"María?" Alba looked stunned, much like how Rangiku felt. María was holding an unsealed Fenmuji over her head horizontally with both clawed hands, blocking Alba's blow.

"Alba," María said quietly, "I don't care what happens in Hueco Mundo, the Transitory World, or Soul Society. You and the rest of Niou's dogs can do whatever you like. But…"

María raised her head. "_…I won't ever let anyone hurt this woman!_" she screamed. A dark aura exploded from her, throwing Alba back. Rangiku was forced back too, startled by the display of power.

"The heidushuijing!" Alba yelled. "Give it back now María!"

"You're in no position to argue Alba!" María retorted. "As long as I possess it I'm far more powerful than I used to be! I can kill you right now if I need to."

Rangiku's mobile phone suddenly activated. "_Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, 12__th__ Division, you have authorization to utilize full force!_"

Rangiku didn't waste any time. She spoke into her communicator, "Attention! We have permission to release our limits!"

The emblem of the 12th Division shined on Rangiku's breast. "_Limit, release!_" she called. She was engulfed by a bright white light.

Alba didn't stick around. With a finally hateful glare at María she dashed away somewhere.

* * *

Dandy took a break from throwing fireballs to glance over at the pillar of light shining in the distance. "What's that?" he enquired.

"Just what I was waiting for!" Renji laughed. "_Limit, release!_" He grinned was the swirling column of light surrounded him too. _At last, my chance to nail that bastard,_ he thought.

He directed Hihiou Zabimaru again. This time the ponderous bankai was much faster, striking at Dandy with startling speed. The jaws clamped down on Dandy, but he managed to keep the large jaws from completely closing.

"Shinigami captains and lieutenants are required to have their reiryoku lowered by 80 per cent when they enter the Transitory World," Renji explained. "This is to reduce unnecessary influence. But right now that restriction's been lifted…Say, why don't you see what kinda fireballs I can make now."

Renji grinned when he heard Dandy begin to struggle and cry within Hihiou Zabimaru's mouth. "_Hikou taihou!_" he intoned loudly. Hihiou Zabimaru's mouth opened and emitted a dense red beam. Dandy's cried abruptly stopped, and Renji saw something disintegrate in the beam. Renji had to say it was immensely satisfying to see someone so annoying get completely vaporized.

"I'd better see what else is going on," he muttered to himself.

* * *

Vale Lord could sense that Sank, Rank, and Dandy were dead. It didn't surprise him in the least that Rank had died; he was both reckless and weak. Sank was a little more surprising; he had been rather promising and was a careful planner. Most surprising of all was Dandy's demise. Vale never would've expected Dandy of all people to die so quickly. Not that he cared for Dandy's well being; it just meant he could advance a little in the Anyetuan hierarchy.

He patrolled the streets, watching for more shinigami. Beating up the little shinigami girl had been kind of fun, but he needed something more challenging to prove himself to his superiors. That's when he noticed his superior Ox Toro lying in a pool of his own blood. He rushed over to the fallen warrior. "Hey," he said, "are you all right?"

Ox grunted and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Yeah, I'm gonna be fine," he said.

"You're wounded," Vale said. "Helpless."

"I just need to return to headquarters," Ox said. "Then I can heal and show that little punk the true power of my zanpakutou!"

Vale swiftly ran his zanpakutou through Ox's face. Ox's body jerked for a moment, then fell still. "Yeah, but then _that_ happened," he said nonchalantly, withdrawing his zanpakutou. With Ox dead there was a spot that needed to be filled in the hierarchy, and with Dandy out of the picture, Vale was just perfect for that spot.

"What happened here?" It was Estrella Mort. The young boy's head looked a little dirtied, like had been hit by something.

Before Vale could respond to his colleague, a shinigami walked over. "Hey guys! If you need some healing I can...oh!" He looked at the two heipomian. "You aren't on my side, are you?" he asked.

Vale pointed at the shinigami. "That's the one who killed Ox, Estrella! We should kill him and avenge Ox!"

"Huh?" the confused shinigami said.

Vale didn't think Estrella really bought his lie, but he pulled out his zanpakutou anyway. Vale did the same. The shinigami yelped and ran away. Vale and Estrella followed suit.

* * *

Resu was sitting on a rooftop, looking at the stars. He sensed some of the heipomian had died but he didn't care. He was thinking of his two older twin half sisters, Myusa and Aidaku. He had always revered the two of them for they too knew the joys of going out on the prowl and killing someone. But he could only dream of the way they took torture and death to an art form. They went about their murderous business with such playfulness! It made it seem like they needed no effort to kill. Myusa and Aidaku were goddesses of the hunt, but he looked up to them for other reasons too. They were so agonizingly beautiful, and he loved the way they would kiss passionately after an especially good kill. He had on occasion watched them unclothe and climb into bed together and do all sorts of wonderful, delicious things together with fingers and tongues.

A familiar voice from below brought him out of his thoughts. He peaked over the side of the building and was delighted to see Princess Piglet walking along the street with the blond boy and a large brunette boy. Resu grinned; he decided the night on the town would be over soon.

* * *

"Looks like there's been quite a bit of commotion," Ichigo observed. "Funny we've seen only a little ourselves.

"Yeah," Chad agreed. "I don't like it. It's like these guys went out of their way to attack other people.

Ino'ue suddenly yelped behind them. Ichigo and Chad whirled around to see what was the matter. The white-haired creep from last night had grabbed Ino'ue and was spiriting her away. "Ino'ue!" Ichigo called. He lunged forward but the white-haired guy had moved into the air, taking Ino'ue with him. He was soon joined by the other invaders.

"Well, it looks like we're done for the night!" Resu laughed. "We'll be back tomorrow night with even more friends! We're really going to have fun then!"

"Help! Kurosaki! Sado!" Ino'ue cried. Resu clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Give Ino'ue back now!" Ichigo demanded, pointed Zangetsu at Resu. The hate he felt for the smug little bastard was indescribable.

"Don't worry! I'll take _good_ care of her!" Resu cupped one of Ino'ue's ample breasts. Ino'ue squirmed and struggled against his grasp but it was no use.

"_Bastard!_" Ichigo swore.

The sky behind Resu and the others suddenly tore itself open with a loud grinding sound, opening like a grotesque maw. The villains backed into it, and the maw began closing with the same loud noise. "Bye-bye for now," Resu said cheerfully.

All Ichigo could concentrate on was Ino'ue's terrified eyes. Then the maw closed completely, and it was though she had never been there at all.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File **_

**Alba Wolf**

Alba Wolf (アルバ・ウルフ _Aruba Urufu_)

Height: 183 cm

Weight: 181 kg

Hair color: Blue

Eye color: Turquoise

Appearance: Alba is a very muscular woman with large breasts. Her hair is tied back into a single plait that reaches past her waist. Her skin is dark and her face is similar to Rangiku's. Her hollow hole is in her upper abdomen.

Attire: Alba wears a modified version of the male Lanjushen uniform with an open sleeveless blue jacket and black trousers with black leather boots. Gauze bandages are wrapped tightly around her breasts and her midriff is bare.

Personality: Alba is a fiercely loyal warrior for Anyetuan's goals and believes Soul Society is corrupt. She is relatively kind compared to her comrades and enjoys parties and dancing.

**Estrella Mort**

Name: Estrella Mort (エステレリャ・モート _Esutererya Mouto_)

Height: 150 cm

Weight: 36 kg

Hair color: Dark red

Eye color: Green

Appearance: Estrella is a somewhat androgynous boy with short messy hair. His skin is somewhat pale and his body is slender and trim. His eyes expressed a somewhat troubled or sad look.

Attire: Estrella wears a yellow jacket and white trousers. It exposes the left side of his chest which is wear his Hollow hole is located.

Personality: Estrella is one who tries not to show emotion in battle. But behind this front lies a sensitive young man who is forced to fight against his will. He seems to care about María.

**Vale Lord**

Vale Lord (ベール・ロード _Beeru Roudo_)

Height: 157 cm

Weight: 49 kg

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Black

Appearance: Vale is a serious looking boy with deep, brooding eyes. His hair is very spiky and sectioned in two layers and the fringe lays just above his eyes. He is thin and wiry.

Attire: Vale wears a long yellow jacket with black trim and sharp edges. His trousers are white.

Personality: Vale is an arrogant jerk who wants to prove that he is one of the most powerful heipomian in Anyetuan. He is in love with Lanjushen member Zabell Melody and wishes to impress her.

**Dandy Lion**

Dandy Lion (ダンディ・ライオン _Dandi Raion_)

Height: 182 cm

Weight: 61 kg

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Brown-black

Appearance: Dandy is a tall, handsome man with dark skin and a thin build. He has a cocky grin.

Attire: Dandy wears a yellow jacket with black trim and white trousers.

Personality: Dandy is cocky and womanizing. He prides himself on his good looks and believes it is inevitable that he should be promoted to the highest rank of heipomian.

**Ox Toro**

Ox Toro (オックス・トロ _Okkusu Toro_)

Height: 194 cm

Weight: 88 kg

Hair color: None

Eye color: Gray

Appearance: Ox is a large man with a small moustache and a cruel grin. He is very muscular and imposing.

Attire: Ox wears a ragged white jacket with blue trim and black trousers with heavy boots.

Personality: Ox is a brutish man with little in the way of subtlety.

**Sank Schultz**

Sank Schultz (サンク・シュルツ _Sanku Shurutsu_)

Height: 179 cm

Weight: 54 kg

Hair color: Blond

Eye color: Red

Appearance: Sank is a handsome boy with long hair and pale skin.

Attire: Sank wears a long red jacket with black and white trousers.

Personality: Sank is a calm, cool, smart individual who is destined for rising through the ranks of Anyetuan…if he survives the process. He is very speedy and loves his younger brother Rank very much.

**Rank Schultz**

Rank Schultz (ランク・シュルツ _Ranku Shurutsu_)

Height: 179 cm

Weight: 50 kg

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Yellow

Appearance: Rank is a handsome but wild looking boy with a dark complexion and crazed eyes. His hair is short.

Attire: Rank wears a short red jacket with black trim and white trousers.

Personality: Rank is a crazed daredevil who is strong but likely to get killed really fast. He loves his older brother Sank very much.

**Dandy Lion's zanpakutou**

Datusha (大屠殺 (ダートゥーシャー) _Daatuushaa_, _lit._ Massacre)

Fuhuo: Datusha transforms into a flaming dao (Chinese saber). It is activated by the command "burn" (焼け _yake_).

Abilities: Fire engulfs Dandy's hands and head. With the command _huoqiu_ (火球 (フオチィウ) _fuochiiu_, _lit_. fireball), Dandy throw fireballs rapidly.

* * *

_Author's note: The next might or might not have an H scene. I'll have to think about how it will play out. What you can expect is everyone getting up to speed on what's been going on. _

_I think a story about vampire Orihime would be fun to write about. I should keep that in mind._

_Please read and review._


	11. Heartwork

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**11. ****ハートワーク**

**11. Heartwork**

Uryuu watched the strange girl pace around the sidewalk, her worn leather jacket fluttering behind her in the slight breeze. She was puffing on a new cigarette. After escaping the invader they had run through Karakura Town until they were absolutely sure they had lost their pursuer. Uryuu was rather impressed that the girl was able to run so quickly and for extended periods of time considering she seemed to be a heavy smoker.

"So," he began, "what's going on here?"

"I guess we'd better get introductions out of the way first," the girl said curtly. "_Puku shi Hoshi Mion. Ni ne minchan shi ho ma?_"

Uryuu blinked, unable to withhold his surprise. The sentence that just came out of the girl's mouth sounded foreign to him, yet he understood that she just said, "I'm Mion Hoshi. What's your name?"

"I'm…Uryuu Ishida," he said, a little bewildered.

She smiled. "So you understood. I knew you would. You must have a lot of questions, huh? Specifically, 'why do I want to eat meat and drink blood so much?'"

Uryuu wasn't all that surprised that Hoshi knew about his aliment, considering every other weird thing that happened. He mostly felt relieved there was someone who could explain what was going on. "Yes, but first, who are you exactly?"

"Sure thing," Hoshi answered glibly. "We've gonna get to know each other really well."

Uryuu wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but he decided to play along and nodded to her. He needed the information.

* * *

The heidushuijing glowed brightly in María's hand. She hunched over Toushirou's prone form, the glow enveloping the captain. Rangiku watched from the side apprehensively. María had assured her the heidushuijing could heal people. Seeing the evil crystal in use made her feel nervous, but it was the only way to help Toushirou in a pinch.

_What happened to you, Hanatarou?_ she wondered. _I hope you're all right._

Toushirou winced and stirred, but didn't wake up. His wounded had completely healed and he was now breathing regularly. Rangiku smiled; her captain looked adorable while asleep. She was loath to wake him now; she'd let him sleep a while and regain his strength. It seemed the danger had passed since she could no longer sense the heipomian reiatsu.

Finished, María got up and turned to Rangiku. "I was hoping you wouldn't have to meet Alba," she said regretfully.

Rangiku knew what needed to be said. "María," she began, "you can't keep information on Niou secret any longer. We need to know everything you do so we can fight Niou effectively."

María was about to say something when she suddenly doubled over, as if punched in the stomach. She grabbed at her midsection and made pained gasps.

"María!" Rangiku cried. She rushed to her side. "What's wrong?"

"_Blood!_" María groaned. "_I need…blood…meat! Rangiku…_"

María collapsed against her. Rangiku, sick with worry, held María to her chest. "It'll be okay, don't worry" Rangiku assured, stroking María's hair. A sharp pain lanced through her upper right breast. Rangiku cried out and looked down. To her horror, María had sunk her teeth into her breast, her eyes wide and animalistic. María had small fangs, puncturing Rangiku's skin. She could feel María's mouth sucking at her vigorously. It was a bizarre sensation, one that felt utterly revolting but also somehow…sensual. But shock and horror won out. With a cry of disgust she shoved at María but the girl stayed firmly attached.

"_Get off me María!_" Rangiku yelled, trying to pry her off.

María was abruptly pulled off of Rangiku's bosom by a pair of hands. It was Toushirou, struggling to keep a grip on the crazed heipomian. "I've got her Matsumoto!" he told her. "You're going to be fine!"

María pushed him away and glared at him, her fangs bared, Rangiku's blood smeared over her mouth and staining her teeth.

A look of revulsion passed over Toushirou's face as he drew Hyourinmaru. "You!" he said, recognizing her. "What are you really?"

"Captain, no!" Rangiku called, clutching her wound. If she didn't do something María would be killed on the spot. She moved in front of María, blocking Toushirou's path.

"What do you think you're doing, Matsumoto?" he demanded. "She was attacking you!"

"Please captain!" she pleaded. "Don't hurt her! We need her alive!"

""What!"

"Rangiku…" María said weakly. Rangiku turned around. María had lowered her head. She was trembling. "Rangiku, I'm sorry. I hadn't fed for a long time. I needed to feed." She looked up. Her eyes were filling with tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She wiped the blood off her mouth.

"You said she was from the 3rd Division," Toushirou said coldly. "Who is she really, Matsumoto? Without the reishi of Soul Society interfering I can now tell she's not even a shinigami. I want the truth now, lieutenant."

Rangiku sighed. Now there was definitely no way to hide it anymore. The truth had to come out. "Her name is María Susana, and she's a hollow," Rangiku said.

The look of utter disbelief on her captain's face would've been hysterically funny were the situation not so dire. "A hollow," he repeated incredulously. "Lieutenant Matsumoto, you mean to tell me you willingly sheltered a _hollow_ in our own headquarters."

Rangiku turned away, unable to meet Hitsugaya's eyes. "…Yes," she said after a long silence. "But please, hear me out."

Rangiku explained the situation as best as she could. She had to force herself to go on because the longer she continued to talk Toushirou's face grew more and more livid. She was quite afraid of what he was going to say to her when she finished.

When she finally stopped Toushirou was silent for a moment. Then: "So not only did you willingly shelter a hollow, but you withheld vital information on a possible threat to Soul Society and played around with a weapon potent enough to annihilate everything the shinigami have ever worked for. Do you have _any_ idea what this could mean?"

"I didn't think—"

"No," Toushirou interrupted, "you didn't think. You _never_ think. It's always spontaneous with you." His voice began to rise angrily. "Consequences be damned! You'll just go off and do whatever you feel like! Well this time you've really done it! Harboring a hollow could be considered _treason_ and you'll be lucky if you're only discharged from the Gotei 13! Under the circumstances you might be _executed!_ _Why_, Matsumoto! What compelled you to do this?"

Normally Rangiku would try to defuse the situation with a joke or by playfully flirting to lighten the mood, but not this time. Rangiku understood she had made a grave error in judgment, that she deserved some kind of punishment. But she still believed her intentions were right, no matter what her captain thought.

She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white and hot tears rolled from her eyes. "_What was I supposed to do!_" she sobbed. "Turn her over to you? Have her arrested? Get her executed? Handed over to the 12th Division to be experimented on to see why she's different from other hollows? Yeah, I should've told you about the danger Niou and the heidushuijing posed, but what about María? She was scared and alone and would've left on her own eventually if I hadn't taken care of her! She's not a bad person captain! She just healed your wounds!"

"But she was _attacking_ you just now," he pointed out.

Rangiku wasn't sure how to answer that. She knew María didn't really mean her harm and she did it because she had to, but Rangiku didn't understand why except María was in pain until she drank some blood. "She wasn't trying to hurt me, captain. It was something she needed to. I don't know why." She sniffled a little while talking, and wiped away some of her tears.

"I know why," said a female voice. Rangiku turned around and saw a human boy she recognized as Uryuu Ishida and a tough-looking human girl walking over to them. As they got closer Rangiku decided she was wrong about them being humans—the reiatsu she sensed from them was faint but definitely not human. They felt similar to María, and yet somehow different.

"Uryuu," Rangiku said.

She heard footsteps coming from the opposite direction. Renji Abarai, Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Hanatarou Yamada, Rukia Kuchiki, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Chad came running up.

"I see everyone seems to be all right," Toushirou said.

"Thanks to Yamada," Rukia said. "He healed me right up."

Rangiku noticed Hanatarou was bruised and seemed to have garbage clinging to him. She guessed he ran into some rather nasty trouble.

"Those guys made off with Ino'ue," Ichigo said dourly.

"Orihime?" Rangiku gasped. "We have to get her back!"

"We have no idea who these guys even are!" Ichigo griped. "How are supposed to find them?"

"Actually…I know where they are," María said.

Ichigo turned to her. "You do?" he asked. "How?"

"She used to be with the attackers but abandoned them," Toushirou said. "So she says, anyway. She was attacking Lieutenant Matsumoto earlier."

"You still don't trust María?" Rangiku asked.

"What were you doing to her anyway?" Toushirou asked María harshly.

"I was about to say—" the tough girl began.

"So who are we fighting anyway?" Ikkaku demanded. "What's going on?"

"Guys, guys," Chad said. "This is getting confusing. Let's sit down and carefully discuss all the issues."

"Good idea!" said Kisuke Urahara, who had popped up from nowhere, startling Rangiku. "Let's go back to my place and talk things over."

"Where did you come from?" asked Ichigo.

They filed into Urahara's shop. They crowded around the table. Everyone was crushed against another person. Rangiku found herself squashed between María and Toushirou. They were both at just the right height that their heads were rubbing against her breasts. Toushirou looked uncomfortable but María managed to look guilty and pleased at the same time. Rangiku smiled. "Well at least you two have some soft pillows to rest against," she joked.

"Shut up Matsumoto," Toushirou said, but his tone sounded slightly relieved. That made Rangiku feel even better; Toushirou seemed to be a little happier knowing she was acting like herself again, cracking jokes about her boobs and the like. He must've been rather disturbed to see her in tears earlier.

"All right," Kisuke began, "let's start with the most pressing issue at had: Who has been attacking Karakura Town?"

María raised her hand. "I can explain that one," she said, a little timidly. She looked uneasy, surrounded by shinigami. "It's a Hueco Mundo-based organization called Anyetuan."

"Who are you anyway?" Ichigo asked.

"My name's María Susana," María answered. "Anyway, Anyetuan is working on behalf of the Remuran Empire to create a combined army of hollows and an'uuto to take over Soul Society."

"An'uuto?" asked Rukia.

"Remuran Empire?" asked Yumichika.

The tough girl looked proud of herself. "An'uuto are—"

"And who might you be?" Rukia asked the girl, noticing her for the first time.

Toushirou jumped to his feet, his face red and enraged. "Will you people just _shut up_ for a moment!" he screamed. "Just stick to the story about Anyetuan and then we can move on to other topics when we finish!"

"Okay, okay," everyone murmured, somewhat resentfully. Rangiku was grateful, but she did want to hear what the other topics were.

María took a deep breath and continued. "Anyetuan is being lead by a shinigami named Tara Niou."

Kisuke leaned forward, suddenly very interested. "Tara Niou?" he asked breathlessly. "As in former captain of the 12th Division Tara Niou?"

"The very same," María answered. "Seia Kazama and Suzuko Nouhara are there too. They're being assisted by an'uuto forces and recruited hollows. Specifically heipomian, hollows mutated by the power of the World of Darkness. I'm a heipomian myself. I betrayed Anyetuan after stealing a weapon called the heidushuijing. I think because I stole it Anyetuan has begun to move forward in attacking Soul Society, although I don't understand why they'd attack this particular town. They must be up to something though."

"So we just need to find these Anyetuan guys, kick their asses, and everything will be fine!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Yeah, basically," María said.

"But what's an an'uuto or heipomian or whatever?" Renji asked.

María was about to explain but the tough girl butted in. "I'll handle this explanation!" she said. "I'm Mion Hoshi, and I'm an expert on an'uuto because I _am_ an an'uuto!"

María smiled at her. "Hey, it's great to know I've got a 'sister' here," she said.

"Yeah," Mion said. "María here is a heipomian, a hollow an'uuto. As for me, I'm a human an'uuto, and so is Ishida here." She patted Uryuu's shoulder.

"So you're actually one of these an'uuto things and not a vampire?" Ichigo asked Uryuu.

"That's correct Kurosaki," Uryuu answered.

"Vampires and an'uuto have a lot in common, so we're confused a lot," said Mion. She grinned widely, revealing a sharp pair of fangs. "We drink blood like vampires, but we usually use animal blood. We also eat lots of meat. We can eat other things, but we don't get much use out of other foods. Meat and blood are the essentials for survival."

_That explains the bite María gave me,_ Rangiku thought, her hand moving to her wound again. _Poor thing must've been really hungry._

"Uh huh," Rukia murmured as she scribbled furiously on some paper. "Blood and meat."

"An'uuto can turn other living creatures into an'uuto, like in vampire stories," Mion said. "Heipomian are hollows who were turned into an'uuto, and as I said before, I'm a human who turned into an an'uuto."

"If Ishida became an an'uuto after last night then those weird creatures who attacked were an'uuto too, right?" asked Ichigo."

"That's true Kurosaki," Uryuu said. "I was bitten by one and that's what turned me."

"But Ichigo and I were bitten too," said Chad. "Why haven't we changed?"

"Ishida has an an'uuto allergy," Mion said. "Normally it involves either a massive infusion of World of Darkness energy or a process involving the swapping of blood. Not Ishida though; one bite and he was turned."

"A freaking _allergy?_" Ichigo asked, incredulous. "For real?"

Uryuu glowered at Ichigo but said nothing.

"Anyway," Mion continued, "the World of Darkness and the Empire of Greater Remuran. The World of Darkness is where the an'uuto come from and the Empire of Greater Remuran rules over the World of Darkness. The assholes in charge have apparently targeted Soul Society as a new addition."

"They've been working slowly because they wanted to hang back and observe Soul Society," María said.

"This is all very fascinating," Kisuke said, nodding his head. "I've never heard of the World of Darkness before. That must be what Niou was researching!"

"Who's this Niou person exactly?" Ichigo asked.

"Tara Niou was captain of the 12th Division long before my time," Kisuke said. "Her main claim to fame was going stark drooling bonkers and killing most of her own Division before running off to Hueco Mundo with two other captains, Seia Kazama and Suzuko Nouhara."

"In other words, just like Aizen," Ichigo remarked.

"Did I mention Niou and her buddies were eating their murder victims?" Kisuke added with a twisted smile. "If it's true she's still alive then that might mean she was an an'uuto even before leaving Soul Society."

"Most an'uuto don't eat sentient life," Mion pointed out. "But that sure sounds like the type of person Remuran would appoint to take over Soul Society."

"I think I got this!" Rukia said. She held up her paper. She had drawn a black circle marked "World of Darkness" and filled it with fanged bats and a few bears and rabbits with fangs. "To reiterate…"

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Ichigo asked sarcastically.

Rukia shot him a deadly look and pulled out a large marker. "Just stay there, Ichigo."

"This is good we finally know what's going on," said Rangiku, as Rukia tried to scribble on Ichigo's face, "but we still don't have a place to sleep."

"Oh, really?" asked Mion. "I've got a place you can stay at for a night or two."

"All of us?" asked Hanatarou.

"With room to spare," Mion answered proudly.

* * *

Mion hadn't been kidding. Rangiku stared at the mansion in front of her. She had thought Mion was just some scruffy youngster but looks were very deceiving.

"You live _here?_" Renji asked, as amazed as Rangiku was.

"I own it but I don't live here," Mion said. "I actually live in a village to the north, sort of an an'uuto community. I come to Karakura Town now and then to see if I can find any fresh humans-turned-an'uuto and tell them about my village. When a lot of us leave the village we stay at this place."

Mion unlocked the door and entered. The shinigami, who were all back in their gigai, followed her, admiring the interior. It was dusty but otherwise well kept. She showed everyone the guest rooms and gave them permission to take any room they felt like.

Rangiku was very grateful for the chance to rest easy for the night. She quickly picked a room and stripped down to her underwear. She climbed into the bed and sighed happily. It felt nice to be in a soft warm bed.

_If there's something good to drink here then this place will be perfect,_ she thought.

A soft knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said casually, not making any effort at all to preserve her modesty.

The door opened, revealing María. She was still wearing the robe Rangiku first saw her in when she arrived at Soul Society. She blushed cutely when she saw that Rangiku was wearing only a lacy white bra and panties. Rangiku had to smile at that.

"Erm, hi Rangiku," said María. "Can I stay with you? I'm still not quite…comfortable with the others."

Rangiku smiled broadly and patted the spot beside her on the bed. "Sure thing. Hop on in."

María slipped onto the bed and sat next to her. "I really shouldn't be sleeping now," María said. "It'd be better if I slept during the day."

"Things sure are different for an'uuto," Rangiku observed.

María didn't respond. The only sound in the room was the ticking of a wall clock. It made Rangiku feel uncomfortable. She glanced over at María. The girl looked to be in deep thought.

"Something on your mind?" Rangiku asked.

"What? Oh, kinda," María said. She looked to Rangiku, her face nervous. Rangiku had a feeling she knew what María was thinking about. She was curious and was hoping María would spit it out.

"Got something to say?" she prodded. She smiled and said in mildly seductive tone, "You can tell me."

María swallowed nervously. "Rangiku," she began, her voice shaky, "I think I…really like you."

It was exactly what Rangiku expected to hear. She was glad María was coming out and saying it without any assistance from sake. "Well I'm glad to know those kisses and gropes were because you like me!" she laughed. "It would be awkward otherwise."

"Erm, yeah," María answered, apparently not sure what to make of that. She was silent again for a moment. "Rangiku…what do you think of me?"

"I like you a lot too," Rangiku answered vaguely. She knew what María meant, but truthfully she wasn't really sure herself.

"Like in what way?" María pressed, a note of urgency in her voice.

Rangiku paused. María wanted a definite answer and wouldn't be satisfied until she got one. Rangiku really did like María of course, but there was a difference between close friendship and love. She had to admit, being kissed by María had been very nice, and it made her feel wonderful when María said she loved her, even if both of them were drunk at the time. It was rather confusing to think since Rangiku usually didn't consider herself interested in other women. She did tell María she loved her back before, but again they were both drunk at the time. Rangiku didn't see anything particularly wrong with being in love with María, but she wasn't sure if she really felt that way about her.

"María, I…" Rangiku couldn't continue. She didn't know what to say.

"I really do love you, Rangiku," María said urgently, moving closer to her. "You're beautiful and funny and you took care of me even though I said I hated shinigami and almost attacked you. You've been in serious trouble for taking care of me too, but you did anyway."

Rangiku was touched. She smiled broadly at María, and said, "You're really beautiful too María, and you're brave, standing up for what you believe is right even when Niou sounds scary. I really admire that." She stroked María's cheek affectionately.

María smiled back and slowly wrapped her arms around Rangiku. Rangiku embraced her back. She closed the distance between them. As if guided by an invisible force Rangiku brought her lips to meet María's. Rangiku was surprised by her action, but she closed her eyes and concentrated on the kiss. María's lips were very warm and soft. Rangiku thought they felt marvelous. Her entire body now felt warmer and more pleasant. Whether it was love or just lust Rangiku didn't know and didn't care—it felt good. She supposed it might've been both at once.

They slowly broke off the kiss and gazed into each other's eyes. Then María leaned in and slowly began kissing a line down Rangiku's throat. Rangiku tilted her head back in bliss, relishing the sensation of María's hot kisses moving slowly from her neck to her voluptuous breasts. She sighed lustfully, all resistance gone. She wanted María—_craved_ María.

María's hot tongue probed Rangiku's spectacular cleavage. She reached up and cupped the full, shapely mounds, her fingers beginning to gently knead the soft flesh through Rangiku's bra. María's touch was highly experienced and it was driving Rangiku wild. She had to feel more. She reached behind and hastily removed her bra, releasing her large breasts with slight jiggle. Flinging the bra away carelessly, she cupped her breasts, lifting them up to display in all their amble glory. She gave María a seductive smile. "You really like these, huh?"

María smirked back at her. It was a look Rangiku didn't expect from the normally uptight girl. It made her look predatory and aggressive, especially with her fangs. Rangiku thought it was an incredibly sexy look.

"I like them big and round," María said bluntly. She ran her hands slowly over the full orbs with reverence. She placed her thumbs over Rangiku's swollen pink nipples and gently massaged them. Rangiku groaned, suddenly aware how wet her panties were becoming.

"_María…María…_" Rangiku panted. Her heart thumped rapidly from the excitement. María moved in close and kissed her again, but this time the kiss was hard and deep. She thrust her hot tongue into Rangiku's eager mouth hard but lovingly. Their tongues danced aggressively together. Their warm saliva was mixed and swapped mouths. Sometimes Rangiku's tongue would brush up against one of María's smooth white fangs. It was a little scary but exhilarating too.

One of María's hands slipped from Rangiku's breast to her pubis. Rangiku's eyes grew wide when she felt skillful fingers stroking playfully at her clothed sex. Rangiku desperately want to shed her soaked panties.

All too soon, María withdrew her fingers and broke off the kiss. She smiled and licked a strand of saliva drooling from her lips. "And now…" she murmured, eying Rangiku's breasts hungrily. She reached out and squeezed Rangiku's breasts together tightly. Rangiku let out a soft cry as María's hot, pretty mouth enveloped her left teat while she pinched and teased the other nipple with her thumb and forefinger.

"_Oh yeah…_" Rangiku moaned. María then withdrew her mouth and fingers. Rangiku whimpered in disappointment, but María cupped Rangiku's breasts and pushed them up. Rangiku was surprised to see her breasts to close to her own face. She understood immediately what the brunette wanted, and flicked her tongue out to lick her own nipples. Rangiku had never thought to orally stimulate her own breasts before, but quickly found she thoroughly enjoyed it. Her breasts were large enough that she was able to push them far up enough that she could take a diamond-hard nipple into her mouth. She sucked with abandon at her breasts, alternating between nipples. Soon her breasts were coated with a slick sheen of saliva. It was very gratifying to pleasure herself in such a manner.

Rangiku felt María's hands move back to her panties. María began easing the wet panties down Rangiku's smooth young legs. She positioned herself between Rangiku's legs, and Rangiku leaned back some more to accommodate the girl. She felt María's burning tongue move teasingly against she dripping sex and squealed, unprepared for how magnificent it felt. She knew that María wasn't new at all to this sort of thing, and it showed through her masterful oral skills. Slowly, agonizingly, María's rhythm increased in tempo, becoming hungry and aggressive. Waves of electric pleasure coursed through Rangiku's womanly body, her hips thrusting uncontrollably.

No area of Rangiku's sensitive slit was left untouched by María's fantastic tongue. She licked deep and hard. She had started out slow and controlled, but now she was franticly eating Rangiku out with total abandon. It was too much for Rangiku to take, and she was sent careening over the edge by María's masterful licking. She body shuddered and trembled violently at the moment of climax. Rangiku didn't want to disturb anyone with a scream of primal lust, so she stuck a finger into her mouth and gently bit down on it, stifling her cries. Her free hand gripped the bed sheets. Her quivering sex released a brief spay of fluid, wetting her smooth thighs.

When it had passed Rangiku slumped back, panting. Sweat rolled off her brow. She hadn't realized it had gotten so hot in the room. Her vagina still tingled pleasurably. Through the fog of the afterglow she noticed María was slipping out of her robe. When she had entirely unclothed she kneeled before Rangiku, smiling suggestively at her. Rangiku's eyes poured over María's nude body. The younger girl was very athletic with firm muscles and small breasts. Just above her breasts was her hollow hole. It should have repulsed Rangiku, but she now found it oddly alluring. She wondered if María had any special sensations in or around her hole.

"Your turn now, huh?" Rangiku chuckled. They quickly shuffled positions, with María leaning back leisurely against the headboard, legs spread wide for Rangiku. Rangiku's mouth watered at the thought of tasting María's core, but she resisted the temptation to just dive in between María's legs. Instead she leaned forward and kissed the heipomian girl. María, instead of kissing back, leaned back slightly, her expert tongue still in contact with Rangiku's. Their tongues caressed hotly and wildly. Rangiku could taste her own sweet fluids on María's lovely mouth and it was driving her wild.

The licking stopped and Rangiku moved down lingeringly. She kissed María's collarbone hotly, moving down to the rim of her hole and to her petite breasts. Rangiku began to stroke María's rock-hard right nipple with her tongue, the left nipple she lightly pinched. Rangiku's own huge bust squashed into María's firm flat stomach. She relished the cute moaning María was making as the strawberry blonde beauty bathed her nipple in the hot juices of her mouth.

Rangiku really wanted to try other things, but María was enjoying the attention she was giving to her nipple that Rangiku was hesitant to move on. She had an idea though. Her hand reached down to María's wet sex and eased one of her fingers into the dripping slit. María gasped at the sudden intrusion and shuddered blissfully as Rangiku began to rapidly pulse her finger in and out at a frantic pace. Rangiku thought that would keep the girl occupied for a little while. She quickly withdrew her finger and sensually licked it clean. The taste was heavenly, but it was just a sample of what was to come. Before María could protest, Rangiku dove face-first between María's legs. Maria's glistening vagina was a beautiful coral pink. Rangiku was surprised by the size of María's clitoris, which was larger than her own. She eagerly opened her mouth and lavished the moist slit with frenzied licks. The taste was amazing, superior to any drink Rangiku experienced before. María's warm juices pooled in her mouth and on her tongue, and Rangiku sloppily gulped it down.

Her finger had made María more susceptible to entry, so was easy for Rangiku lick inside her lover's core. The lustful moaning coming from María rekindled Rangiku's own sex drive, and she began to finger herself with abandon.

Rangiku moved up slightly, taking María's sensitive clitoris into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the fleshy nub lovingly. It felt amazing to pleasure María, especially hearing her squeals of delight. Rangiku intensified her efforts, listening carefully to María's cries. When the girl practically shrieked with joy Rangiku knew she found the right spot and ruthlessly assaulted it. She wanted to make María come long and hard, to be among the best she'd ever had.

As Rangiku showered María's clitoris with heated licks she had to grab her by the thighs to keep the girl from thrashing out too much. María then cried out especially shrilly and arced her back, her fingers sinking into Rangiku's bright hair. Rangiku was richly rewarded for her efforts with a short spurt of sweet liquid. This was enough for Rangiku. She suddenly shuddered and came to a delicious second climax. Exhausted, she collapsed onto her side, the two of them panting in unison, her sex tingling sweetly. María pealed herself from her position to give Rangiku a long, loving kiss. They gazed into each other's eyes, tired but happy and grateful. María squeezed Rangiku's hand. It felt so warm together, and Rangiku just wanted to stay in that one position forever.

"You were amazing," Rangiku whispered breathlessly.

"You were amazing too," María responded in an identical whisper. She slowly embraced Rangiku and rested her head in Rangiku's glorious bust. "I feel so safe with you. I don't ever want to be away from you."

"Same here," said Rangiku, reveling in María's warmth.

They continued laying there long into the night, drifting off into deep dreamless sleep soon enough.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

Mion Hoshi (保志 魅音 (ほし みおん) _Hoshi Mion_)

Height: 152 cm

Weight: 36 kg

Hair color: Light brown

Eye color: Brown

Appearance: Mion is a tough-looking girl with a hard, cynical expression and a wiry figure. Her hair is unkempt and appears to be bleached. She has small fangs that are difficult to see unless she opens her mouth wide enough.

Attire: Mion wears a disheveled sailor school uniform with an unknotted scarf, loose socks, and a hiked up skirt. A cigarette is usually in her mouth.

Personality: Mion is as tough as she appears and knows it. She takes great pride in being an an'uuto. She lives in Chuukou Village, a community for an'uuto living in the Transitory World, one of many scattered around the world. Mion often leaves the village to find and recruit homeless an'uuto.

* * *

_Author's note: At last, a sex scene that I'm satisfied with. I've been writing erotica on and off or years now, but I've never really been satisfied with the results until now, even if it's a lot less extreme than I'm used to. I have to thank CrazyNinjaPenguin for his advice on writing erotic scenes. _


	12. Infestation of Evil

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**12. ****インフェステイション・オブ・イーブル**

**12. Infestation of Evil**

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was frustrated.

He leaned over the papers scattered before him and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had Nemu gather up every known report on the Niou incident, and all uniformly told the same story with no new details. What annoyed him the most was that while it was sometimes mentioned that Niou had been keeping a strange animal no one bothered to describe it in sufficient detail. All that was known was it was a "misshapen shadow". That was very interesting especially since one of the creatures that attacked Karakura Town was described as such, but he needed more information than that.

_It looks as if I'll have to do this myself if I expect any progress to be made,_ he thought irritably.

* * *

Orihime didn't know where she was; all she knew was that it was dark, cold, and scary. She was in a dark castle or fortress, like the kind dark lords in manga lived at. Resu wordlessly pulled her through the shadowed corridors, that eerie smile of his never leaving his handsome face. Her hands were bound behind her back. Orihime spied numerous figures in the darkness, some walking about, some standing still. It might as well have been an office building. Some of the figures watched as they passed, sometimes muttering to each other in a language Orihime couldn't understand. She wondered if she would ever see her friends again.

After marching her up a twisting flight of stairs, Resu brought Orihime to a door. He opened it and shoved her through the dark doorway. She cried out, stumbling in the darkness. She could feel that the floor was covered in a soft carpet, unlike the rest of the castle she had been through. She guessed she was in Resu's personal quarters.

She turned around to face her captive. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Orihime had no doubt Resu was going to do something awful to her. A whimper escaped her and she immediately hated herself for it. She was so weak compared to the others. Kuchiki definitely wouldn't stand for this if it were her in Orihime's position.

There was a click and a light came on. It was a rather weak light but Orihime was able to make out her surroundings better. It was a personal room with a fairly lavish bed, bookshelves, and what looked like a computer on a desk.

The door shut behind them. Resu fixed Orihime with his smile and slowly approached her. "Oh, little Princess Piglet," he rhapsodized, "how I've waited for this moment…"

Orihime backed away from him, repulsed. She stepped back and tipped back onto the bed. Resu moved over to her, towering menacingly. He grinned wickedly, showing off his fangs. Orihime was trembling with fear by the sight of those smooth white fangs. "Please let me go Your Highness," she pleaded, tears running down her cheeks. "Have a heart, please…"

He leaned over her. His tongue suddenly darted out and licked tears off her cheek. "Oh yes, just like that," he murmured, speaking in blissful tones. "Cry for me, Princess Piglet. It makes your flesh all the more succulent…"

He cupped one of her ample breasts and squeezed hard, eliciting a pained cry from Orihime's lips. He laughed at her pain, chuckling nastily.

The door behind them swung open inward with a crash. Resu whirled around, his face now very annoyed, his teeth bared. He shouted something in that strange language angrily, but he was cut off when the intruder grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Orihime watched in amazement as a beautiful dark-skinned woman dragged Resu away, saying some angrily to him. Resu turned his head to shoot Orihime a dark look before being carried out the door. It shut again behind them and Orihime was all by herself. From behind the door the sounds of heated arguing came.

Orihime sighed, extremely grateful for the intervention. She didn't want to think what could've happened if Resu had gone on any further. She realized she wasn't safe yet; for all she knew the woman just wanted to drink her dry instead of sharing her with Resu. Who was the woman anyway? If she was able to just pull Resu away she must be very powerful. Was that his sister? She didn't look at all like him.

Without anything else to do, Orihime examined her surroundings in more detail. The writing on the spines of the books looked to be in Chinese and had kanji she didn't recognize. When she thought about it, the language the vampires were speaking sounded vaguely Chinese. She wondered why that was when she was able to understand the shinigami perfectly.

Looking next to the bed, Orihime found a small bedside table. Sitting on it was a pair a framed back and white photographs. The left photo, labeled 廟紗 by a small plaque beneath the photo itself, depicted a beautiful girl in a fine black dress (or at least Orihime thought it was black—the lack of color made it difficult to tell). The right photo, this one labeled 愛徳, had a nearly identical person, either a feminine twin brother or a twin sister in fine boy's clothing. Both were smiling with eerie serenity, just like Resu did. Orihime was sure she had the names wrong, but they looked like they would be "Byousa" and "Aitoku" in Japanese. Judging by the feminine second name the one in boy's clothing was a girl after all.

She could see a definite resemblance to Resu in their faces. It seemed much more likely that the twins in the pictures were siblings of his. Did they know he wanted to do terrible things to girls like Orihime? It was a strange feeling knowing someone as evil as Resu had siblings that he presumably loved.

The opened again. Orihime's eyes focused on the door, suddenly afraid again. The woman came in and walked up to the bed. "I won't hurt you," the woman said soothingly. "Come with me." She was wearing a black robe, similar to the garb of a shinigami.

Orihime moved off the bed, relieved there was someone apparently friendly around. "Am I free to go?" she asked hopefully.

The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid not. You need to stay here for the time being. You possess a great power within. Cooperate with us and you'll be our guest. Fight with us and you'll be our prisoner. Which will it be?"

Orihime hesitated. She was afraid of what would happen if she said she wouldn't cooperate, but if Resu was closely involved with the organization then she doubted it was up to any good. She could lie of course, but she doubted she could keep the façade up for long enough. What kind of help did the woman expect from her anyway?

Orihime thought it would be good to stall for time by asking the woman some questions before giving an answer. She was about to ask about what kind of help she wanted when she noticed the woman was looking at her funny. She was blushing and looking at her with half-closed eyes. When the woman noticed Orihime had noticed she quickly averted her eyes. The woman's eyes seemed shameful, guilty even.

_What's wrong with this woman?_ Orihime wondered. _She looks so sad._

"Erm," Orihime began, trying to find a topic to talk about.

The woman looked surprised. "Yes?" she asked.

"I…want to know your name."

"Oh." The woman seemed to relax. "My name is Seia Kazama."

"Kazama…" Orihime repeated. As she pondered the name, her eyes were drawn to a sheathed sword hanging from Kazama's sash. Her eyes widened, realizing what the name and the sword meant. "You're a shinigami?" she asked.

"You're very perceptive, girl," Kazama answered with a smile. "It's more correct to say I _was_ a shinigami." Her smile widened into a grin. Orihime gasped when the fearsome fangs came into view. It should've been a familiar sight to her by then, but it was more shocking than ever to see a shinigami of all creatures as a vampire. Just how far did the vampire's power reach?

Kazama's grin went back to a normal smile. "What is your name?" she asked.

"My name is Orihime Ino'ue."

Kazama nodded. "What a pretty name," she said.

"What's going on here?" Orihime asked. She needed answers.

Kazama took a step back and raised her arms. "_This_," she said, motioning to indicate her surroundings, "is Anheisi, the headquarters of Anyetuan, representatives of the World of Darkness. With the dark power of the an'uuto we will destroy Soul Society and start a new society ruled by an'uuto."

"Destroy Soul Society?" Orihime gasped. "Why? Why would you do that?"

Kazama snorted. "Soul Society is rotten to the core," she said. "Everyone will be better off without them."

"I can't help you do that!" Orihime objected. "I won't! I refuse!"

Kazama gazed impassively at her for a moment, then sighed. "You say that now, but you'll be changing your mind very soon," she said. "Very well, I'll take responsibility for you. You won't be able to do anything without my permission."

"If you must," Orihime answered defiantly. She glared at Kazama silently. The vampire woman wordlessly took Orihime by the arm and led her away. After another long trek through Anheisi Orihime was brought to a small prison cell. It was gray and had a cot, a sink, a mirror, and a toilet. She stepped inside and the door closed behind her with rumbling finality.

"Only I may let you out," Kazama said through a hole in the door. "Ask for me when you're ready to cooperate."

Orihime listened as Kazama's footsteps moved away from the cell. When she was sure she was gone, Orihime sat down on the cot and stared at the floor. She wondered if her friends had any chance of coming to rescue her. Again she felt angry with herself, unable to do anything to help herself. All she could do was sit around and wait to be saved.

"I'm such a burden," she said to herself sadly. "I'm sorry guys."

* * *

Seia stepped through the halls of Anheisi, her brow furrowed in concentration. Resu's report had said the Ino'ue girl had powerful protection abilities. Tara's interest had been piqued by the mention, so it was good after all that Resu abducted her, even if it were for all the wrong reasons. What Seia wasn't expecting was the girl's beauty. Ino'ue was a captivating human, dazzlingly beautiful, yet innocent and pure. Seia was glad she had stopped Resu before he could get much further with Ino'ue; the thought that he would defile such a precious creature made her sick to her stomach. She was going to have to file another complaint, but not to Tara. No, she was going to let Rubihatsu himself know that his brat needed ample punishment. With Tara backing her Rubihatsu would definitely listen.

Her thoughts moved from Resu back to Ino'ue again. The girl's beautiful gray eyes haunted her mind, full of sadness and regret. Seia felt a pang of guilt that she had to imprison her, but they had no choice. Only if the girl agreed to work with them could she receive any privileges. Seia decided she wanted to care for Ino'ue, look over her, treat her with kindness. Once the girl understood Anyetuan's mission she would side with them in short order. Then once it was all over, then perhaps Seia could finally have what she desired most.

The hatefully familiar longing in her loins was starting again. Seia gritted her teeth and tried to ignore it. She wanted to talk to Tara in the meeting hall about Ino'ue and she couldn't let her overworking sex drive distract her. Tara had said she should take things easy and not participate in any fighting as long as her sexual problems persisted, but Seia found that combat was able to take her mind of sex for a time. She wouldn't have Tara telling her she couldn't fight at her side; no, her hypersexuality was only a problem when she _wasn't_ seeing combat.

Seia briskly entered the meeting hall. Standing near the entrance was Resu. He smiled at her but the look in his eyes was dark. She indulged him only a quick, contemptuous glance as she passed him by.

At the far end of the table were Tara, Suzuko, and Dr. Pasatsu Hotsuyoku, discussing something together. They looked up as Seia approached and Tara smiled. "Ah, Seia," she said, "we were just hoping you would show up."

Seia nodded, not letting her discomfort show. There was no way she was going to let Resu or Hotsuyoku see that she was badly aroused. She gave a curt nod to her comrades. "Hello Tara, Suzuko, Dr. Hotsuyoku. What's happening?"

"The Exquisite Sovereigns have informed us that because we might go to war with Soul Society itself that assistance in the form of a field marshal shall be arriving here," Hotsuyoku answered in his usual cold tone. He was a thin, pale young man with straight black shoulder-length hair wearing a long white laboratory coat. A pair of white wings grew from back. He was one of Exquisite Sovereign Rubihatsu's top researchers and a personal friend of the Exquisite Sovereign. Seia didn't know him especially well since he mostly kept to himself.

"I see," Seia answered. She had met a few of the field marshals before, and wondered which one would be coming over. She turned her attention to Tara.

"Tara, I ask permission to watch over the captive Orihime Ino'ue myself," she began. "I will take full responsibility for her."

"Permission granted," Tara answered briskly. "I'm glad you asked. I was going to assign one of the heipomian to the task, but I see you would be excellent too."

Seia allowed herself a brief smile. She was very grateful for Tara. "Thank you Tara," she said. "I might take assistance from one of the heipomian." She wondered if Alba would be interested in helping her with Ino'ue.

"Of course, Lady Niou and I will need to fully assess the subject's full abilities before we know she'll be any use to use," Hotsuyoku said. He sounded as though Ino'ue were a mildly interesting animal for study. Seia didn't like it at all.

"I will try to make the girl see things as we do," Seia said. Her arousal was getting harder to ignore, and she wanted to leave. "Excuse me, but I have to go study." She left the table and walked away. She left the hall itself. As she did Resu followed behind her, his steps in time with her own.

"I see now," he said, his voice so sickly-sweet that Seia felt sick hearing it. "You want the piglet _all_ to yourself, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you mean, prince," Seia answered flatly. He was the last person she needed to hear from then. She continued marching on.

He chuckled nastily. "You just don't want to share the piglet, you greedy thing. Your old toys aren't doing it for you anymore, so you need this one now, don't you?"

Seia gritted her teeth, trying to ignore him.

"You can deny it all you want," he continued, "but the fact is you just want to use the girl the same way I want to. No matter how refined you act, you're still just a whore of a shinigami pretending to something bigger."

That was it. Seia whirled around, grabbed Resu by his coat, and slammed him against the wall. She thrust her face into his. "Listen to me, _prince,_" she growled, "maybe I am just a lowly gaiza rather than a high-and-mighty _s_unseoi like you, but remember this; your father, a man you are hardly a _fraction_ of, put the authority of this operation in the hands of Tara Niou, another gaiza. That means you are beneath her, and by extension, you are below me. I will _not_ tolerate being called a whore by the likes of you, and because I'm in charge of Ino'ue, I also will not tolerate any attempts by you to harm her. I don't care what your status is in the World of Darkness; you'll be going back home in pieces if you so much as touch her. Do you understand that?"

Resu smiled at her but didn't answer. She kneed him savagely in the crotch, provoking a cry of pain and surprise from the prince. "_I asked you a question!_" she screamed. "_Do you understand what I'm saying you twisted little fuck!?_"

Resu's response was to make a sick, wheezing laugh. He was grinning widely, and his laugh continued to grow in volume until it was a ghastly roar echoing through the dark halls. Soldiers, researchers, and heipomian looked out, wondering what was going on. Seia stepped away from Resu, disgusted. She stormed off, Resu's psychotic laughter following her all the way. She hoped Ino'ue wasn't disturbed by it.

* * *

Rangiku was aware that light was in the room but she didn't want to open her eyes. She felt very warm. She moved her arm and realized someone was against her. She opened her eyes, surprised to find María's naked form embracing her. Suddenly the memories from the night before came flooding back. She smiled and put an arm around her new lover.

"You awake?" María asked, startling her. Rangiku thought María had still been asleep.

"I am now," Rangiku answered. She smiled down at María. "How are you doing, babe?"

"I need to sleep some more," she said. "I'm not going to be comfortable in this sunlight."

"Hey, thanks for everything last night," Rangiku said gratefully. "That was the most amazing thing that ever happened to me."

"No; thank _you,_" María said. Her face then grew serious.

"Rangiku," she said solemnly, "you love me very much, right?"

Rangiku blinked. Where was María going with this? "Sure I do," she said.

"Rangiku…" María got out of bed then rummaged through her clothes for a moment. She produced something from her robe and held it up for Rangiku to see. It was the heidushuijing. "Rangiku, with this we can live happily together for the rest of our days, but only if you want that."

Rangiku blinked. "María, what are you saying?"

"What I'm trying to say," she answered, "is if you want me to transform you into an an'uuto."

Rangiku's eyes widened, hardly believing what she was hearing.

María hugged the heidushuijing to her chest. "I can turn you into an an'uuto," she explained, "and with the heidushuijing we can go to the World of Darkness and live there in peace, just the two of us. Everything will be behind us forever."

Rangiku looked away from María, overwhelmed by the suggestion. Her lover had just asked her to abandon everything she knew to start a new life. It was attractive in a way, but to never be able to go back? Rangiku would be the first to admit that she was lazy and shirked responsibility more often than not, and sometimes she did just want to run off somewhere and not look back.

"María, I…"

"Don't answer now," María said, getting back into the bed. "Think about it for as long as you want. This is up to you alone." She moved behind Rangiku and embraced her lovingly, resting her chin on her Rangiku's shoulder.

Rangiku was silent.

* * *

The dark portal churned and rippled as a figure tore through the eerie liquid surface. Tara, Suzuko, Hotsuyuku, and many of the highest-ranking heipomian were in attendance, waiting to see the field marshal.

The figure fully emerged. It was a white-winged man in a black peaked cap with the brim pulled low and a trench coat worn over a black uniform. He stepped jauntily down the walkway, his hands in his pockets. A sword hung from his side and a pistol was holstered on his belt. He pushed the brim of his hat up, revealing a long handsome face with crafty green eyes and curly blond hair.

Tara smiled, pleased that one of Remuran's finest had arrived. "Field Marshal Fuisa Dehatsu," she said. "It's been too long since we've last seen each other."

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

Dr. Pasatsu Hotsuyoku (火翼帕薩博士 (ホツヨクパサツはくし) _Hotsuyoku Pasatsu Hakushi_)

Height: 172 cm

Weight: 52 kg

Hair color: Brown

Eye color: Black

Appearance: Pasatsu is a thin young man with a serious, humorless face. His hair is shoulder-length and straight. He has intelligent and cold eyes and his ears are long and pointed. A pair of large white-feathered wings grows from his shoulders, giving him an angelic appearance.

Attire: Pasatsu wears a long white lab coat over a white suit and white trousers. A pair of rectangular-framed glasses give him an intellectual appearance.

Personality: Dr. Pasatsu Hotsuyoku is a cold, clinical individual with an arrogant sense of superiority over most people. He is a scientist under the direct command of Exquisite Sovereign Rubihatsu.

* * *

_Author's note: The nest chapter will be "Dark Recollections". It's going to be one hell of an addition to the story! _


	13. Dark Recollections

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**13. ****ダーク・リコレクション**

**13. Dark Recollections**

Orihime looked nervous as she was laid down naked in the pod-like device by some of the an'uuto researchers. Seia had assured her that everything would be all right, but the young human girl didn't seem very hopeful.

_She's a goddess,_ Seia thought, intently watching Orihime over the security monitor. Her heart raced at the brief glimpse of the teen's voluptuous nude figure. Then the pod closed over Orihime and the vision of loveliness was gone. The intense heat building between her legs was still there though. It was near overpowering. Seia gripped the counter, resisting the urge to drive a hand into her sex. How could that girl have the face of an angel and the body of a temptress?

"_Ori…hime…_" she breathed.

"I expect a great deal to be learned from this," Tara said from behind Seia. Hearing Tara's voice forcibly jerked Seia out of her erotic reverie. Blushing guiltily, Seia peeked over her shoulder. Sitting at the table behind her were Tara, Suzuko, Hotsuyoku, and Resu. Tara and Hotsuyoku were sitting up and looked quite absorbed in their conversation. Suzuko had her elbows on the table, propping up her head with her palms under her chin. She was puffing out her cheeks and blowing air through her full lips, looking bored. Resu had his arms crossed over his chest, his head tilted forward. He looked to have recovered from his laughing fit. For once, Seia was grateful for his being there—his presence was so repulsive that all feelings of arousal fled from her.

Seia returned to looking at the monitor. The big capsule hadn't moved of course; it would be some time before the analysis was completed. Orihime would be in no discomfort during the analysis; the capsule was warm and filled with a pleasing liquid. It would be like returning to the womb. Seia wasn't sure what they would find, but Orihime had some peculiar abilities according to Resu. Seia didn't doubt that the girl was special; she got a sense of inner warmth when she was in Orihime's presence, like she radiated an inner light. What would the research discover about her?

"The subject is very interesting," said Hotsuyoku airily. "There is something that makes her different from the usual shinigami and humans."

"Her name is Orihime," Seia said bluntly. She hated to hear Hotsuyoku call her terms like "subject". It was like he didn't see her as a person.

"Of course," Hotsuyoku responded dismissively.

Seia scowled but didn't say anything further.

"Let's just let Kagemaru loose and be done with it," Suzuko said. "He'll take care of Soul Society quick enough."

"That would draw too much attention," Tara retorted. "Only in an emergency will I unleash Kagemaru."

Someone knocked rapidly on the door. "Enter," Tara commanded.

The door swung open and someone hurried inside by the sound of the rapid footsteps. "It's the human!" exclaimed the voice of Teatime Osbourne. "The results have come in!"

_This fast?_ Seia turned around and got to her feet. The others were getting up too. They walked through the doorway were they were joined by Zabell Melody, Esueño Geddy, Alba Wolf, Vale Lord, Carmilla le Fanu, and Bowie Stardust.

"The big guys want to speak to you too!" Teatime said, trying—and failing—to hold back his maniacal giggling.

"Whatever it is," Coyote said, "the Exquisite Sovereigns think it's important." She nodded to Seia.

_The Exquisite Sovereigns are interested in Orihime?_ Seia marveled. _Just what kind of power does she have?_

* * *

Orihime slipped the black shirt on. Her captors had provided her with a new change of black clothes that she had to admit were very comfortable. They also let her dry off and get changed in privacy. It was nice how considerate they were, but even so, she hoped to leave soon.

She was in a small room that looked like it belonged in a hospital. Orihime had been moved there after being made to leave the egg-like machine. It was funny; she had thought her examination was going to be scary and painful, but it was actually quite nice, just as Seia told her beforehand. The inside filled up with a warm fluid that she was able to breathe in somehow and she went to sleep. Orihime wondered if that's what it was like to be inside an egg. If so, she left a little bad for the eggs she had eaten in her life.

Her thoughts on eggs were interrupted by a sharp rapping at the door. "_Are you changed in there, Orihime?_" Kazama's voice called.

"Yes!" Orihime called back. She smiled, glad to know it was Kazama who was escorting her back to her cell. At least Kazama was kind to her. The others were rather frightening. Orihime supposed it was unfair of her to judge the other vampires on how they looked and spoke a different language, but some did seem really scary.

_The Anyetuan do want to destroy Soul Society though, even Kazama,_ she reminded herself. Was Kazama being nice to her just an act?

The door opened and Kazama stuck her head through. "Hello, Orihime," she said. "Something very important is happening now, and you need to be present."

_Something important?_ _What could it be now?_

Orihime nodded. "All right, Miss Kazama." She followed the older woman out into a hall. Kazama proceeded to move through the dark halls until eventually coming out into a large, high-ceilinged chamber dominated by a long obsidian table with numerous chairs lined up along the sides with some rather strange-looking people sitting in those chairs. Orihime had not seen many of the more important members of Anyetuan aside from Kazama, but now the entire upper echelon of the organization was laid out before her.

Kazama motioned to a chair at the end of the table, and Orihime moved forward to reluctantly take a seat. She could feel the eyes of the other people on her. It made her feel terribly uncomfortable and frightened. What were they going to do?

On the right side of the table was a young man with curly blond hair and pointed ears wearing a military uniform, a man in a white lab coat who also had pointed ears, a woman with white skin and long dark green hair, and a very muscular woman with huge breasts. On the left side were a smug-looking boy with short brown hair, a pretty blonde girl, a ghastly clown-like man with wild dreadlocks, and an androgynous youth with black hair. At the end of the table opposite of where Orihime was sitting were Kazama, a bright-eyed girl with a blonde ponytail, and a pale glamorous woman with black hair with some papers in her hand. The pale woman smiled at Orihime from across the table and set her papers down.

"Greetings, Orihime Ino'ue," said the woman. "My name is Tara Niou, formerly of Soul Society, presently of the Empire of Greater Remuran."

"Hello, Miss Niou," Orihime said meekly, looking back at her captor.

"How do you like Anheisi?"

"It's a nice place," Orihime answered. "It's a little dark though." She wondered where the conversation was leading.

"Please don't think of yourself as a prisoner," Niou said. "I am happy to have you as a guest."

"But I was kidnapped!" Orihime pointed out. "You put me in a prison cell."

"Regrettable, yes." Niou said. "Due to an unfortunate mistake, you were abducted. Or was it really a mistake? Could it not have been destiny?"

"Destiny?" Orihime asked, puzzled.

Niou leaned forward, a gleam in her violet eyes. "Our analysis has found some amazing discoveries. You, Orihime, are a very special girl."

_Special?_ Orihime thought. _Either they made a mistake or the Shunshun Rikka is very powerful to vampires._

"With all due respect, Miss Niou, I think you made a mistake about me," she said. "I'm not that special. Now I don't mean to be ungracious, but I miss my friends. Would it be okay if you returned me home?"

"You are indeed special," Niou said. "You just don't know in what way."

"How am I special then?" Orihime asked. "What are you going to do to me?"

"All in good time," Niou said dismissively. "All you need to know for now is that you are very important to the Empire of Greater Remuran's interests."

"So what _are_ the interests of the Empire of Greater Remuran?" Orihime asked. It was beginning to frustrate her how Niou wasn't being forward with her.

"Our shot-term goals are to see Soul Society overthrown," Niou stated. "But our long-term goals are many and labyrinthine. But you should be thankful to be a part of them! It is an honor beyond anything you would otherwise experience in your life for the Exquisite Sovereigns to take a personal interest in you."

"Exquisite Sovereigns?" Orihime asked. She had heard that term before…

Instead of answering, the air above them began to shimmer. Before Orihime's eyes, the shimmering sharpened, taking shape. In seconds a screen-like image was hanging in the air for everyone to see. The image was very dim—all Orihime could make out were a group of black shapes gathered in a dark room. Even so, she felt deep sense of terror in her stomach. She didn't know if she was actually somehow feeling the reiatsu from the shapes in the image, but an overpoweringly oppressive cold force now saturated the chamber.

The top of one of the shapes tilted slightly. "_Are you afraid of us, child?_" a smooth, cultured male voice asked. It sounded disarmingly human, but the shape was distinctly _inhuman_ as far as Orihime could tell; the silhouette was far too wide and the girth seemed to _flap_ slowly. She couldn't reply; she was paralyzed with fear.

The voice tittered. It was a pleasantly good-humored sound, but it didn't comfort Orihime at all. If anything, it was worse. "_You poor girl; is our power too overwhelming?_"

A shape that seemed to have a pair of large horns sticking directly out from the sides of its head twitched unnervingly. "_What's wrong?_" it said in a sickeningly sweet teenaged girl's voice. "_Don't be afraid of the dark._"

"_You would be very valuable to us,_" a towering bulky shape said in a deep, rumbling male voice. "_Please hear our offer_."

"_We are the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns,_" the first voice said. "_I am called Rubihatsu._"

"_Rubihatsu…_" Orihime whispered. She remembered the night Resu invaded her home. He had proudly announced that his father was Rubihatsu the Fallen, the greatest of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns.

_So this man—or monster—is Resu's father…_

"_Soul Society is an evil, corrupt institution that needs to fall,_" a figure wearing what appeared to be a wide-brimmed hat said in a sneering, cruel male voice. Orihime gasped; she immediately recognized the hateful voice. She didn't know how it was possible, but the voice was none other than Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi's! "_Everyone will be better off without it._"

"So you're a traitor to Soul Society after all!" Orihime accused. She had to gather up her courage to speak in such crushing presences, but she couldn't be silent any more. Not when Kurotsuchi had sunk even further.

"_Oh?_"

"How could you say Soul Society is evil when you hurt all those people, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Orihime demanded. "You're the one who's evil!"

The figure shook with laughed wickedly. "_Oh ho! You confuse me with the captain of the 12__th__ Division, girl. Trust me, I would never stoop to his level, even if we sound the same._"

"Then who are you?" Orihime demanded.

"_All in good time, Miss Ino'ue, all in good time,_" the voice said.

"_Have you ever looked closely at Soul Society?_" a gentle but strong female voice asked. The figure seemed to be a hulking monster with horns though.

"I've been there before," Orihime answered. "It's not a bad place."

"_Soul Society hunted Quincy and bount alike in an effort to exterminate them. I ask you, are these the actions of a moral institution?_" the voice asked.

"But that was in the past, right?" Orihime asked.

"_As if the present is any better?_" a cheerful and slightly feminine-sounding male voice repeated. The speaking figure seemed to look relatively humanoid. "_Darling, you need to take a closer look. Soul Society includes types like that icy boy who would rather murder his surrogate sister than break protocol, that amoral butcher, that cruel secret police commander, that lunatic in charge of a horde of warmongering bullies, and that obstructive old bureaucrat who nearly killed two of his subordinates for having any independent thought._"

Orihime paused; she hadn't thought of it that way before. It was disturbing, but Soul Society _did_ have the vile Kurotsuchi in its ranks. Could some of the other captains be as terrible?

Then again, there were some very good shinigami, like Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Toushirou Hitsugaya. Surely they wouldn't serve Soul Society if it were as bad as the Exquisite Sovereigns claimed, right? And it wasn't like she had much reason to trust Niou or the Exquisite Sovereigns.

"How do you know so much?" Orihime asked, "and why do you want to overthrow Soul Society?"

"_We are always watching, child,_" Rubihatsu said. "_We see the problems of worlds beyond our own and, an in our benevolence seek to correct them. Soul Society is one of those problems that need fixing. But it's only a small part in our design. With your power we can do much more good._ _You will live in unending splendor and comfort if you come to us, and your work will be doing good on behalf of the entire Multiverse. What do you say?_"

Orihime looked away from the image to the people sitting around her. They were watching her intently, waiting for her answer. She spotted Kazama looking at her hopefully. The vampire shinigami sincerely wanted her to accept the offer. Orihime felt bad that she had to disappoint her.

She took a deep breath and gathered up her courage. Drawing herself to her full height, she said to the Exquisite Sovereigns, "I'm sorry but I can't accept. Soul Society may have some bad people in it, but I know many good people too. Also, it's your organization that attacked my town, turned my friend into a vampire, and kidnapped me."

She glared defiantly at the image now, focusing on Rubihatsu. "And it was _your_ _son_ who tried to rape and murder me! I don't want to join a group that has nasty people like that in its ranks! And what gives you the right to decide what are problems? It sounds like you just declare things inconvenient to you as problems so you can get rid of them."

"_Resu tried to hurt you?_" Rubihatsu asked, shocked. "_This is a grave offense. His punishment will be severe, I assure you._"

"_You need some time to rest and think things over,_" the gentle female voice said.

"_You'll come around to the truth soon enough,_" the sickly sweet female voice said.

"_Miss Kazama,_" Rubihatsu said, "_please take the girl back to her quarters. We shall speak to her again in three days time._"

Faster than Orihime could see, Kazama was at her side. The woman put a hand on Orihime's shoulder and gently drew her out of her chair. Orihime complied but didn't take her eyes off the floating image. "Don't expect me to change my mind!" she shot to the Exquisite Sovereigns as she was lead away.

The only response was amused tittering from the shadowed tyrants.

* * *

_I've gone to sleep for the day and am in the basement. Ishida is with me, and María should join us. Please use the map provided to find your way around the mansion. There should be enough food in the refrigerator and the freezer to keep you satisfied. Don't go—I repeat, __DO NOT__—go into the basement unless it's an emergency. We're trying to sleep down here!_

Rangiku nodded and put the note back on the table. Mion's instructions were sensible enough. She glanced at the hand-drawn map and saw everything was neatly labeled for the shinigami guests.

"It won't do me much good to stay up here," María said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm gonna go down there to sleep. I'll see you in the evening, Rangiku."

"See you later," Rangiku replied, and María walked off.

Rangiku immediately plopped herself down onto a chair and sighed. She popped open the can of beer she got from the refrigerator earlier and took a deep swig. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't think of a good alternative to María's offer. There was just no way María would be allowed to live in Seireitei with her, but Rangiku didn't want to abandon Toushirou and the 10th Division to live with María in some strange land. But where would María go if Rangiku turned her down? What would she do?

Rangiku finished her beer, thought for a moment, then left to get another one. She was in the mood for drinking.

* * *

Orihime sat on her cot, looking at her feet, not saying anything. She was aware that Kazama was sitting next to her, but Orihime was trying to ignore her.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk?" Kazama asked.

"Please, just go away," Orihime muttered.

"I just want to help."

Orihime turned sharply to face Kazama. "No you don't!" she snapped, surprising herself out stinging her tone was. "You just want to make me join your masters! Well it's not going to work."

Kazama looked hurt. "I was nice to you before I knew that you've got a special power, wasn't I?"

Orihime was going to tell Kazama to leave her alone, but Kazama's claim sunk in and she realized she was being mean to the one person in the whole building who was genuinely kind to her. More than that though, Kazama had saved her from being raped by Resu and she hadn't shown any gratitude for the deed.

"I'm sorry Miss Kazama," she said, softening her tone and look. "You've been so nice to me, and I haven't even thanked you for saving me from Resu."

Kazama's frown changed into a relieved smile. "It's okay Orihime," she said. "And please, call me Seia from now on."

"So Seia," Orihime began, "why am I so important here?"

"I don't know all the details myself," Seia admitted, "but the general idea is that your soul contains an sort of 'spark', an inner light that rejects an'uuto power."

Orihime was puzzled. "Rejects…"

"You can never be turned into an an'uuto," Seia clarified. "There's probably more to it since the Exquisite Sovereigns find your spark so important, but that's the main thing."

"Why are you serving them?" Orihime asked. "Why do you want to destroy Soul Society anyway?"

"As the Exquisite Sovereigns themselves said, Soul Society is evil," Seia said. "I serve them because they have my best interests at heart."

"Why do you mean?" Orihime asked.

Seia sighed deeply and put a hand to her forehead. "Really, to know the answer you have to know more about me, Tara, and Suzuko, and that's a very long story. Are you sure you want to know?"

Orihime nodded. "Yes please," she asserted.

Seia leaned back on the cot and stared ahead. She suddenly looked very weary. Her eyes no longer looked youthful but ancient and tired. The change was startling, and Orihime gasped. "It was so long ago," Seia said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I was captain of the 9th Division. Tara Niou was captain of the 12th Division and Suzuko Nouhara was captain of the 2nd Division. We were very close friends, very young and idealistic for captains.

"Tara wanted to make a difference. She was—she still is—a brilliant scientist, but that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to help the less fortunate of Soul Society, and would regularly take us into Rukongai to remind us of the suffering outside of Seireitei. We did what we could to create awareness and improve the quality of life, but to no avail—the government just didn't care. As time went on, Tara became bitter and jaded, and her faith in people dropped. I had problems of my own too; I—"

Seia's face reddened deeply. It made Orihime feel uncomfortable. "If you don't want to tell me something personal I understand. You can skip that part."

"No, it's okay," Seia said. "My parents were very strict and raised me to fear…intimate physical contact. I wanted very badly to show my affection to the one I loved, but my fear was so deeply engrained that it had become pathological. I couldn't even give a loving hug without feeling a strong sensation of revulsion. I hated it but I didn't know what to do."

"Who was the one you loved?" Orihime asked curiously.

Seia smiled strangely. "Tara."

Orihime's eyes widened. "Oh, you're like that, then?" she asked.

"Yes," Seia answered simply. "Does that bother you?"

"Oh, no! Not at all!" Orihime asserted, waving her hands. She smiled at Seia. "You wouldn't be the first friend I've had to be like that like."

Now it was Seia who looked surprised. "Friend?" she repeated. A smile spread across her attractive features. "I'm your friend now, Orihime?"

Orihime smiled sweetly at Seia. "You're a good person, Seia. I think we're friends now."

"Thank you Orihime," Seia responded, looking genuinely touched.

"So what happened next?"

Seia nodded. "Yes. Of course. I was in love with Tara, and so was Suzuko. Tara considered me her lover, but our relationship was hardly physical, what with my issues. It left me feeling rather depressed too. Then came Tara's discovery and everything changed. On an expedition to the Transitory World some members of her division were killed. An investigation was launched, and the culprit was found to be a colony of small unknown creatures, miniature people made of shadow."

"The creatures that attacked my town!" Orihime exclaimed, remembering that dreadful night.

Seia nodded. "Correct. They are called _remusen_. But this colony was wild, not deliberately released. The 12th Division members killed all but one in the ensuing struggle, and the remaining one was taken back to headquarters. He had bitten Tara on her hand, but she was fond of the little beast and named him Kagemaru. That's when everything changed. After that Tara complained of terrible nightmares about a ghostly woman. At first it was just dreams, but she started seeing the ghostly woman everywhere she went. Suzuko and I worried for Tara's mental well-being."

"That's creepy," Orihime said. She didn't think ghosts would scare her any more, but a ghost haunting a shinigami was something altogether new and horrifying.

"It gets worse," Seia responded. "A few days later Tara seemed perfectly fine again. She assured us she was feeling much better, the nightmares had stopped, and research on Kagemaru was going smoothly. We noticed that she now seemed uncomfortable in light though, but we were so happy that her delusions had stopped that we didn't care. Then when the disappearances started."

Orihime's heart was beating quickly now. It was like being told a very scary horror story, but this one was absolutely true. "So Tara became a vampire and was kidnapping people?" she asked breathlessly.

Seia nodded. "Criminals and other 'undesirables' from Rukongai—people who wouldn't be missed by the government. But then people in Seireitei started vanishing too, and the government had to pay attention to _that._ Suzuko and I found it was Tara by accident; we came to her home one night unexpectedly to pay her a visit. We found her in her library, asking someone who wasn't there for more information and eating the corpse of a man from her own division."

Orihime gaped, simply aghast. She felt nausea rise in her stomach and resisted the urge to gag.

"Tara told us she understood the secret to ultimate power, that the ghostly woman told her to eat the flesh and drink the blood of shinigami and hollows. When we couldn't calm her down she lunged at me and sank her teeth into my throat. She then made me drink her blood."

A look of rapturous pleasure passed over Seia's face. Orihime gasped. That look in the context of the story was perhaps the most horrific thing she had ever seen. "It was euphoric," Seia continued. "I sucked at Tara's blood like it was mother's milk. It was such an incredible rush of power and pleasure that I climaxed and passed out. When I came-to, Suzuko had just finished undergoing the same process. Tara informed us that we were reborn as _an'uuto_, that we were now superior to normal shinigami. She invited us to eat some of the corpse she had and, overcome by new instincts and urges, I did so. It made me feel stronger, more powerful. It was like I had never truly tasted meat until that moment. It's impossible to describe to anyone who hasn't gone through the same experience as a _gaiza_, a person turned into an an'uuto."

Orihime, feeling sick to her stomach now, was very thankful that she could never fully understand the experience Seia had described. What really terrified her was the possibility that Ishida may have experienced the sensations Seia described by now.

Seia continued, still blushing. "After eating, Tara disrobed and asked if we wanted sex with her. This time something awoke in me, something hot and hungry. I suddenly wanted her—_needed_ her. My phobias were gone in an instant, and it was like I had regressed into an animal; I rutted mindlessly with Tara with Suzuko, licking and biting them long into the night…"

Seia clutched at her own shoulders, her face deeply flushed. Orihime stared at her, a sense of deep revulsion conflicting with a growing sense of…arousal? Orihime couldn't believe such a grotesque story would arouse her, but it was the only way she could describe the feeling fighting her disgust. Actually seeing Seia so visibly aroused by her own retelling didn't help matters.

"I'm sorry," Seia said hotly, looking away from Orihime in shame. "The memory of that moment is just so powerful it still effects me sometimes. You must think me lewd and disgusting."

"You can't help it," Orihime said weakly, now blushing herself. She really didn't want to find the images playing out in her mind as erotic, but her body simply refused to feel otherwise. "Please go on."

"Very well," Seia said. She took a few deep breaths and seemed to calm down. "After that we—including Kagemaru, whom Tara had begun feeding some of her victims too—spent our nights hunting together like a pack of wolves. Tara told us of how the ghostly woman had never left her; she just learned to listen instead of running away in fear. The ghostly woman whispered secrets to her about eating souls as a way to gain power, so we began to kill people for the purpose of becoming stronger. Each time Tara justified it somehow—_this_ man was a violent thief, _that_ woman killed her husband for some inheritance money. At that point I had a new respect and understanding for hollows, but I saw hollows as food now too, so sometimes we would turn the tables and prey on them. During this time, Kagemaru started to grow and change, becoming more like a shinigami in shape. He was still basically an animal though. He had a unique connection with Tara and obeyed her commands; I suppose because his bite turned her into an an'uuto."

"That's what happened to one of my friends," Orihime said, glad the story had moved on to something less lewd. "That's how he turned."

Seia nodded. "Some people, like Tara and your friend, are just vulnerable to turning into an'uuto. It takes more complicated measures to turn most people though, like Suzuko and I.

"Anyway, it was apparent we couldn't keep our positions as captains for much longer without raising suspicions. Our bodies were becoming increasingly intolerant of sunlight and we were running out of excuses as to why we weren't out during the day any more. So Tara had us go into hiding at her home, making it seem as though we were victims too. Tara stayed in her position though, continuing to study our condition, using captured shinigami and hollows alike in her experiments. Eventually she was discovered though. A group of shinigami confronted her in her laboratory, but she was prepared. She had everyone else even remotely connected to her experiments killed and the most of the research papers destroyed. She was also much more powerful than before, not only because becoming an an'uuto strengthens you but because of the souls she had consumed. At her signal Suzuko and I came to her aid and we fought through the force sent to capture her. Suzuko was forced to kill her own lieutenant; it was regrettable because we had originally wanted to make our lieutenants into an'uuto too. We never got to properly test out lieutenants to see if they would accept the offer. I didn't think my lieutenant would've though, so it's probably for the best we left him behind."

"So where did you go after that?" Orihime asked, spellbound by the tale.

"Tara, guided by the ghostly woman, took us all the way to Hueco Mundo," Seia said. "We fled across the endless wastes, feeding on hollows as we went. At the time I had no idea what Tara had hoped to find, and I began to think she had gone mad. But after many days we came across a camp. Tara assured us the people in the camp were an'uuto too, but of a different kind. These turned out to be researchers from another world, studying Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. Tara told them of the ghostly woman, and the researchers immediately arranged to have us taken through a dimensional gateway to the an'uuto homeland, the World of Darkness. More specifically, we were taken to the Empire of Greater Remuran, who were the ones interested in Hueco Mundo in the first place. We met the leaders of the empire, the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns, who declared Tara to be an incarnation of their goddess, Rireishi the Queen of Dreams. Instantly Tara, and to a lesser extent Suzuko and I, became revered throughout Remuran. We were given the high-end accommodations in the palace of the Exquisite Sovereigns' leader, Rubihatsu."

Seia sighed and looked wistful. "That was the happiest time of my entire life. There's an endless amount of things to do and discover in the World of Darkness, and we had the means to do anything. We were on good terms with the most powerful people, although we also had to help them in their research of Hueco Mundo and Soul Society since we knew much more than they did."

Orihime frowned. Seia seemed genuine in her feelings about Remuran, but she wasn't going to be swayed into helping the Exquisite Sovereigns so easily. "What are the Exquisite Sovereigns like in person?" she asked.

Seia shrugged. "They're people like you or me, just vastly more powerful than anyone else I've known. They were very friendly with us and took us on personal tours of the lands they ruled and we would be invited to go on holidays with them to the most fantastic places in the world. I really like them."

_They didn't seem very nice to me,_ Orihime thought. That reiatsu—or whatever that aura they gave off was—felt distinctly ominous and evil to her. It had been bad enough feeling it from the across another world; she didn't want to think about what it would be like meeting them in person.

"The good times had to end for a while though," Seia sighed. "After many years enjoying the fruits of Remuran, the Exquisite Sovereigns informed us that after careful deliberation they determined Soul Society to be a problem that need to be corrected. It wasn't hard to see why—the condition of Rukongai was proof enough of Soul Society's disregard for people."

"Why is that?" Orihime asked.

"Rukongai is a vile, crime-ridden slum," Seia said, her voice turning bitter. "The people are vulnerable to hollow attacks and hardly anyone from Seireitei is willing to help improve anything. With the Exquisite Sovereigns' power backing us, we will destroy Soul Society and create a new, just regime."

Orihime was silent. It sounded like Seia had some very good points. But could she trust Tara and the Exquisite Sovereigns? She doubted it, but what if she was wrong about them? Seia seemed trustworthy enough, but she needed to know more before she made a decision.

"Seia," Orihime said, "could you show me around the castle and tell me more later? I'll behave and have an open mind. I just need to be sure about things before I see the Exquisite Sovereigns again."

Seia smiled. "I'd be happy to teach you more."

"I have some conditions though," Orihime said. "First, there must not be anymore attacks on Karakura Town. Second, I want to be allowed to see my friends and let them know I'm okay and they don't have to worry about me."

Seia nodded. "Reasonable enough. You are a quite wise. I'll see what I can do for you."

The woman got up and opened the cell door. "As long as you're willing to behave you can have more comfortable accommodations. I still have to keep watch over you, of course. You don't mind, do you?"

Orihime smiled. "Not if it's you."

"All right then," Seia said with a nod. "Let's go find you a nicer room to stay in."

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

**Ten Exquisite Sovereigns**

The Ten Exquisite Sovereigns (十大妙王 (じゅうだいみょうおう) _Juudai Myouou_) are the rulers of ten of the eleven states that make up the Empire of Greater Remuran (大影蘭帝国 (だいレムランていこく) _Dairemuran Teikoku_) in the World of Darkness. They are among the most powerful of an'uuto, and they have Byzantine plans regarding worlds beyond theirs. Soul Society is the latest on their list of worlds for conquest, but their meddling reaches places far beyond. Only a few people know the true purpose for their Machiavellian designs.

* * *

_Author's note: Fucking finally. I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I rewrote it several times before finally finding this version satisfactory. Originally Seia was going to have an extended flash back so her memories were much more detailed, but it was just too much information that wasn't really necessary. I'm sad about not using the detailed threesome scene for when Seia and Suzuko became an'uuto, but I might work that in somewhere else._

_And now, here is part 2 of the original characters voice acting cast._

**Pasatsu Hotsuyoku**

Japanese: Takahiro Sakurai (Kiyomaro Takamine in _Konjiki no Gash Bell!_, Haseo in _.hack/Roots_

English: Jason Spisak (Kiyo Takamine in _Zatch Bell!_, Geo Stelar in _Mega Man Star Force_)

**Fuisa Dehatsu**

Japanese: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Hiei in _Yuu Yuu Hakusho_, Gai Shishiou in _Yuushaou GaoGaiGar_)

English: Doug Erholtz (Asuma Sarutobi in _Naruto_, Teppa Aizen in _Grenadier: The Beautiful Warrior_)

**Bowie Stardust**

Japanese: Hozumi Gouda (Kafka Sunbeam in _Konjiki no Gash Bell!_, Darkness in _Yuugiou Duel Monsters G.X._)

English: Jason Anthony Griffith (Tatsuha Uesugi in _Gravitation_, Atticus Rhodes in _Yu-Gi-Oh! G.X._)

**Teatime Osbourne**

Japanese: Mitsuo Iwata (Shoutarou Kaneda in _Akira_, Marchosias in _Shakugan no Shana_)

English: Trevor Devall (Mu La Flaga in _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED_, Marchosias in _Shana_)

**Carmilla le Fanu**

Japanese: Kanako Irie (Dandyla in _Bikkuriman 2000_, Camula in _Yuugiou Duel Monsters G.X._)

English: Bella Hudson (Swan White in _GaoGaiGar_, Camula in _Yu-Gi-Oh! G.X._)

**Esueño Geddy**

Japanese: Mayumi Yamaguchi (Li Jianliang in _Digimon Tamers_, Envy in _Hagane no Renkinjutsushi_)

English: Quinton Flynn (Deidara in _Naruto_, Carl Fei-Ong in _Blood+_)

**Zabell Melody**

Japanese: Ai Maeda (Mimi Tachigawa in _Digimon Adventure_, Megumi Oo'umi in _Konjiki no Gash Bell!_)

English: Jillian Michaels (Lacus Clyne's singing voice in _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED_, Princess Pride in _MegaMan N.T. Warrior_)

**Exquisite Sovereign Rubihatsu**

Japanese: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Griffith in _Kenpuu Denki Berserk_, Naraku in _Inuyasha_)

English: Paul Dobson (Naraku in _InuYasha_, Alastor in _Shana_)

**Sickeningly sweet teenage girl Exquisite Sovereign**

Japanese: Kumiko Nishihara (Perona in _One Piece_, Alice in _Yuugiou Duel Monsters G.X._)

English: Rebecca Forstadt (Suiseiseki in _Rozen Maiden_, Nunnally Lamperouge in _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion_)

**Deep, rumbling male Exquisite Sovereign**

Japanese: Masa'aki Tsukada (Watsup in _Black Lagoon_, Ki'ichirou Kimiyoshi in _Higurash no Naku Koro ni_)

English: David Kaye (Soun Tendo in _Ranma ½_, Sesshomaru in _InuYasha_)

**Mayuri Kurotsuchi sound-a-like Exquisite Sovereign**

Japanese: Ryuusei Nakao (Baikinman in _Soreike! An__pão__man_, Freeza in _Dragon Ball Z_)

English: Terrence Stone (Aoshi Shinomori in _Rurouni Kenshin_, Yoshiyuki Kojima in _Chobits_)

**Gentle but strong female Exquisite Sovereign**

Japanese: Aya Hisakawa (Ami Mizuno in _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon_, Maya Natsume in _Tenjou Tenge_)

English: Wendee Lee (Rushuna in _Grenadier: The Beautiful Warrior_, Maya Natsume in _Tenjho Tenge_)

**Cheerful and slightly feminine-sounding male Exquisite Sovereign**

Japanese: Hikaru Midorikawa (Tamahome in _Fushigi Yuugi_, Hiiro Yui in _Shin-Kidou Senki Gundam Wing_)

English: Tony Oliver (Rick Hunter in _Robotech_, Arsène Lupin III in _Lupin the 3__rd_)


	14. Sound of White Noise

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**14. ****サウンド・オブ・ホワイト・ノイズ**

**14. Sound of White Noise**

The mansion basement was quite comfortable, more akin to a living room and some bedrooms than a true basement. It was almost more luxurious than the rooms upstairs. The room was cool and dark down there, just right for a creature of the night like María Susana.

Their hostess and the boy in glasses were sitting on a couch, the hostess with an ornate glass in her hand. From the sharp aroma coming from the glass, María could tell it was blood.

"I was wondering when you'd come down here," the hostess said without looking at María.

"Your note said you were asleep," María said.

"I am tired, María," the hostess said, "but Ishida here has a lot of questions that need answering. You can sleep if you want though."

María had sleep though the night before with Rangiku, so she wasn't that tired. It was more comfortable in the dark than upstairs though, and María wanted some time to talk to other an'uuto. She took a seat on another couch and relaxed.

"So the shinigami don't know about an'uuto?" the boy, Ishida, asked. "Not at all?"

"How could they?" the hostess answered. She set her glass down and took a drag on a cigarette. "When we die our souls go to the World of Darkness. The shinigami don't notice our souls because our souls don't belong here. So they don't notice us."

"Until now," Ishida pointed out. "Thanks to this incident they know everything. You don't think they're going to hunt you down like they did the Quincy, do you?"

"I don't know," the hostess shrugged. "I don't know much about shinigami and Soul Society. They've got one hell of a surprise coming to them if they try though. Every single an'uuto is able to see shinigami, and the majority of us can fight. We have to protect ourselves from hollows, you know. An'uuto look really tasty to hollows with our ability to see spirits."

"Fighting hollows and fighting shinigami are two very different things," Ishida said. "The Quincy could fight hollows well enough, but that wasn't enough to fight back against the shinigami."

"We'll see," the girl said, exhaling smoke. "We'll see."

María didn't doubt for a moment that it was a bad thing that the shinigami now had information on the an'uuto. But who was worse, Soul Society or Anyetuan?

* * *

Resu stared at the wall in front of him without really seeing anything. He sat on the prison cot, smiling his ever-present smile. After Princess Piglet informed the Exquisite Sovereigns that he had tried to ravish and kill her, they ordered Niou to have him locked up. Resu didn't mind—it was all just part of the effort to convince Princess Piglet that they had her best interests in mind.

Resu gave a low chuckle and slowly shuffled his personal deck of playing cards. As if the Exquisite Sovereigns really cared about the little piglet's feelings! The only reason they were going through the effort to convince the girl to side with them was that they believed seducing someone to a cause was the most effective way to recruit. They smiled and played along with Princess Piglet's requests to give her some time to think things through, but it was only an illusion of choice—if the piglet ultimately refused then the Exquisite Sovereigns would drag her into the World of Darkness kicking and screaming. There she would be tortured, conditioned, and brainwashed until her mind was irreparably shattered. She would become one of their mindless dolls, completely enslaved to the will of his father. Resu actually hoped the piglet would refuse to go along with the Exquisite Sovereigns; that way he had a chance of being allowed to administer some of the torture. Oh, the things he would do to her—he and Myusa and Aidaku. The twins would kiss the piglet gently before beginning their art. She would scream and cry and beg for mercy, but regardless of what agonies they would inflict upon the girl they wouldn't leave a mark on her flawless skin. They wouldn't want father's new toy to be in anything less than perfect condition; he might want to play with her himself at times. As far as Resu knew though, the piglet was meant to be a kind of weapon. He was rather curious to see how that would work out.

He knew the soldiers were watching him, wondering about how someone of his breeding could stoop to trying to rape a girl. Nearly everyone thought he was just a polite and harmless imbecile. Those who peeled away that image came away knowing he was an unstable murderer and rapist. But when people covered the second layer of a person they thought they knew everything there was about you. They never checked for any more layers. Resu smiled, and continued to stare ahead at nothing for the guards.

_When they think you're stupid you can run rings around them,_ he thought. _Now that's power._

* * *

Tara rubbed her eyes and sighed. She was sitting at a table with Hotsuyoku and Dehatsu in Hotsuyoku's laboratory. They were trying to work out a next course of action. Tara wanted to go ahead with moving stealthily against Soul Society, but no matter how they looked at it, it became increasingly clear that their only option left was open war. The heidushuijing was gone and Soul Society was becoming aware of their presence. Tara still had a plan left, but that plan was hampered if they went ahead with the three-day cease-fire Ino'ue was demanding.

_Patience,_ she said to herself. _We can still go ahead with this if we wait long enough._

Dehatsu was slowly sharpening a pair of daggers. The ominous sound of metal torturously screeching against metal filled the room. "The Exquisite Sovereigns would be willing to call off the operation," he said. "The acquisition of Ino'ue would be considered victory enough for them. We can withdraw everyone and Soul Society would be unable to do a thing about it."

"I would hate to leave this place," Hotsuyoku said wistfully. "There's still so much to learn."

"Our other option," Dehatsu continued, "is full-scale invasion. It will take some time before enough troops can be brought here, but Soul Society will be overwhelmed eventually. Of course, if something goes wrong with the invasion then the Exquisite Sovereigns will be very displeased with us."

He stopped sharpening the daggers and set them on the table. "We need to decide soon," he said. "The cease-fire Ino'ue wants will be perfect for taking either path."

Tara frowned. She wanted to see Soul Society obliterated, but things weren't going as she had originally intended. She didn't want to continue with her plans unraveling before her very eyes. Maybe it was better to quit while ahead. They could always come back for Soul Society another time.

_How did Susana steal the heidushuijing in the first place?_ she wondered.

But what would happen to her reputation if she were at the forefront of defeating Soul Society? If she were victorious it would truly cement her reputation as a living embodiment of Rireishi. She would go down in history, and all she had to do was be there when the forces of Remuran subjugated Soul Society. Surely that couldn't be _terribly_ difficult.

Her mind was made up. "I want to go ahead with invasion," Tara said softly but firmly.

Dehatsu nodded. "Very well. I'll inform the Exquisite Sovereigns. They must've expected it anyway, sending me over like this."

"Thank you, field marshal," Tara said. She left her seat. "I'll prepare a speech for the heipomian."

_What to do about Ino'ue though?_ she wondered. _She and Seia seem to get along well enough, so Seia should be able to convince her to go. There's no guarantee of that working though…_

An idea began to form in Tara's mind; an insidious, perverse idea. A small smile crossed her face. She just needed to make a few quick arrangements and then she could continue on her day.

* * *

Flowers surrounded Orihime and the sky above was a deep red and filled with black clouds. In the distance she could see crimson pagodas rising to meet the crimson sky. A lovely fragrance hung in the cool air. She felt a sense of peace in the area.

_It's kind of weird,_ she thought, _but beautiful too. Awfully lonely here though._

"Orihime?"

The young girl gasped and turned around to confront the one who spoke behind her. She was met by the smiling visage of Seia. The dark-skinned beauty was wearing a long sleeved black leather one-piece dress, suspenders, and black stockings attached to the suspenders. The front of the dress was unzipped, exposing much of Seia's considerable cleavage. The rogue shinigami had pale pick lipstick on too. Her dress was revealing enough that Orihime could now see that Seia had very long, firm legs and full hips. Orihime had previously only seen Seia in her uniform; she thought Seia looked very sexy and glamorous in more casual wear. That Seia looked happy when all Orihime could remember her looking was melancholy helped a lot too.

"Oh, hello Seia," Orihime said. She smiled pleasantly. "How are you doing?"

"I just wanted to get to know you a bit better," Seia said. She Orihime approached jauntily. She sat down in the flowers and patted the spot next to her. "Sit down with me?"

"Okay." Orihime sat beside Seia. "I was just thinking that I wanted some company. It's nice to see you here."

Seia nodded. "I've known you for only a short while but I like you a lot, Orihime."

Orihime smiled. "Thanks!" she said. "I like you too!"

Seia put a hand on Orihime's shoulder. Orihime looked at Seia's hand, surprised by the almost intimate motion. "Seia?"

She looked up in time to find Seia's face mere centimeters from her own. "I like you very much, Orihime," said Seia in a breathy voice. "How much do you like me?"

* * *

Orihime's eyes snapped open. She glanced around but Seia was nowhere in sight. She caught her reflection in a mirror, her eyes wide and startled.

_A dream,_ she thought. She remembered Seia taking her to her new room. It was a bit plain, but much more welcoming than the cell had been. Orihime had lain down on the bed and must've fallen asleep.

A faint blush tinged Orihime cheeks as she replayed her dream in her mind. It had been extremely vivid. It was like Seia was ready to kiss her and was dressed rather sexily. She didn't know why she would dream of something like that. It made her feel a little weird.

_It's probably because of what she told me earlier,_ she thought. _I might have nightmares from hearing such a scary story._

She sat up and stretched. Seia had promised her that they would take her back to Karakura Town so she could tell her friends that she was fine and the Anyetuan would stop attacking. She could hardly wait to go back, even if it was only for a short while. Hopefully the whole thing would be straightened out.

Someone knocked loudly at the door. "Come in!" Orihime called, knowing it was Seia. Sure enough, when the door opened it was the friendly former shinigami. She was smiling and looking pleasant. Seeing her again so soon caused Orihime to recall her recent dream. Particularly the part where Seia had made as if to kiss her. Orihime's cheeks suddenly felt hot.

"I wanted to let you know that we'll be leaving soon and—Orihime, your face is red. Are you feeling all right?" Seia's face switched from happiness to concern and she learned forward to take a closer look. Orihime flinched, half-expecting Seia to kiss her on the lips. But no; Seia just examined her.

"I—I'm fine, really," Orihime said. She felt embarrassed now. Why would she think Seia would just lean in and kiss her anyway? Because she admitted that she fancied girls? Orihime knew that ridiculous—just because Seia liked girls didn't mean she would try to kiss every girl she crossed paths with. Orihime felt ashamed of herself for even briefly entertaining the idea. After all, Seia seemed to be in a loving—if twisted and more than a little disturbing—relationship with Niou and the one she referred to as Suzuko.

"Thank you letting me know," Orihime said, and smiled to Seia. Orihime had to admit that the older woman was very beautiful and kind. If she were to like girls too then Seia would certainly be on her list of girls she would want to kiss, along with Tatsuki, Chizuru, maybe Kuchiki…

_If_ Orihime were to like girls, of course. She was certain she wasn't that kind of person.

* * *

The day slowly faded into evening, bathing Karakura Town in a deep orange-red glow. Rangiku sat on a quaint stone bench outside the mansion, elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, watching the sun set. If the predictions were correct then the heipomian would show up again to harass them that night. Rangiku had a feeling they were going to be more serious this time; several of their kind were killed the night before, and if they appeared again they would likely be more careful.

"Hey." Rangiku recognized the sound of María's voice. The heipomian had appeared at her right side, taking the vacant seat beside her. Rangiku slowly turned to face her new friend, and found María smiling at her. Rangiku smiled back.

"Hi María," she said. "Have a nice nap?"

"I wasn't that tired," María answered. "I just wanted to get away from the sun. I talked to those other two, Hoshi and Ishida. It's nice to talk to other an'uuto, but Ishida needs to practice being one a bit more. I guess it's harder for humans than hollows to adjust to the change."

Rangiku nodded, and briefly wondered if someday María will have to train her to be a proper an'uuto. "María," she said, "we think the heipomian will be back soon and I don't want you to get involved. It's you they want so you should stay at the mansion with the heidushuijing."

María made a sour look. "You weren't the one to suggest that, were you?"

"It was my captain's idea," Rangiku explained. "Everyone agreed with him though. We just can't risk the enemy getting their crystal back or hurting you."

"Fine, I guess," María sighed. "I'll stay here. Someone will be looking out for me though, right?"

"Yeah, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa will be around to protect you," Rangiku said. "They're good at what they do, so don't worry."

María didn't look assured—quite the opposite, in fact. Rangiku figured she still didn't trust the other shinigami yet.

A rolling wave of reiatsu fell upon Rangiku. It was massive in its intensity; Rangiku felt like she was being pressed down. She gasped and nearly fell against María, but María grabbed onto her. She looked into Rangiku's eyes, deeply frightened. "That's them!" she whispered. "It feels like all of the Lanjushen are here!"

"Lanjushen?" Rangiku asked.

"The most powerful heipomian!" hissed María. "If they're here then the Anyetuan must want to kill all of you right now! We need to get outta here!"

Feeling the sheer amount of reiatsu, Rangiku couldn't blame María for wanting to escape. It felt like several shinigami captains were gathered into one spot and let their reiatsu run wild. This was far beyond anything their group could handle at the moment; if a fight broke out they would be annihilated, along with most of the town.

Toushirou and the other shinigami came barreling out of the house. They had shed their gigai and had their zanpakutou at the ready. "Matsumoto!" Toushirou barked. "I called for reinforcements! Get out of your gigai now!"

Rangiku produced a piece of Soul Candy and swallowed it. Immediately she was in spirit form. She turned around and looked at her gigai. "You and María stay here with Ikkaku and Yumichika!" she ordered. The gigai nodded, taking María's hand and smiling at her.

"Where are Ishida and Hoshi?" Toushirou asked. As soon as he said it, they appeared in the door.

"We'll be staying here," Mion said. "If you're smart you'll get out now. No use in fighting a force like that. Shit! I've never encountered an'uuto this powerful before."

The gigai and María joined Mion and Uryuu. Rangiku turned to Toushirou. "Captain," she whispered fearfully, "what should we do?"

Toushirou was staring off into the distance, his brow furrowed in concentration. His eyes reflected the nervousness of the situation. It looked like he had no idea of what to do at the moment. He just looked…hopeless.

"Captain?" Rangiku repeated, now beginning to feel really quite frightened. Was Toushirou so distraught that he didn't know how to handle the situation? Were they just going to have to wait for backup or even retreat entirely?

Then he blinked, his expression changing from one of fear to puzzlement. "Wait, feel that reiatsu again Matsumoto. Everyone! Concentrate on the enemy's reiatsu!"

Rangiku tried again. The reiatsu was as overpowering as ever. What did Toushirou sense this time that was different from before? It stayed in place, throbbing ominously…

In that instant it came to her what her captain had noticed. _That is strange,_ she thought. _What are they doing over there? What's the point?_

Renji stepped forward. He too looked confused. "They're not really doing anything," he observed. "They're just…standing there."

It was like a large group of them had appeared in the middle of Karakura Town, bunched themselves into a circle, and let their reiatsu flare up in such a way that anyone sensitive to it would have to notice.

"Should we investigate?" Rangiku asked.

"It might be a trap," Renji cautioned.

"I don't think they want to fight," Toushirou said. "It's like they just want our attention."

"An invitation, huh?" Renji said. "I guess we should take them up on it."

They took off in the direction of the reiatsu. They sped past humans, invisible to all by the most spiritually sensitive to them. As they went, Rangiku became aware that Rukia, Ichigo, and Yasutora had joined them. "You three," Toushirou said, "don't attack until it's confirmed the invaders are hostile. Considering the power of the enemy though it would be better to retreat if attacked."

"Got it Toushirou," Ichigo nodded.

Toushirou scowled but didn't reply. That made Rangiku smile a little.

They were lead to the local park by the reiatsu in due time. They slowed down as they approached the park, eventually stopping to observe. Standing in a circle formation in a wide clearing was a group of ten individuals. Seven figures made up the circle with the remaining three standing in the center of the circle. The figures composing the circle were dressed in blue and white uniforms.

Toushirou began to creep ahead slowly. The others followed suit. As they got closer to the strange group Rangiku recognized the heipomian Alba Wolf standing at attention with her arms crossed under her cannonball-like breasts. On her left was a grinning hunched man with long green dreadlocks and skin the color of white greasepaint. On Alba's right was a slender, voluptuous pale woman with long wavy hair. She couldn't get a good look at the others making up the circle, so she concentrated on the people inside the circle. The one to immediately catch her attention was a young, very pretty girl with orange hair and gray eyes—Orihime Inoue! She looked anxious, like she was waiting. Holding her arm was a tall woman with very dark skin wearing glasses and what looked like a modified shishakushou. The woman was clearly a shinigami, not a heipomian. The woman reminded Rangiku of the traitorous Kaname Tousen—maybe she was a relative?

_Is that Tara Niou?_ Rangiku wondered. She turned her attention to the third figure, a tall man with short curly blond hair. His ears were long and pointed and a pair of broad white-feathered wings grew from his back. He was attired in a long black coat and a black uniform. From a glance Rangiku could tell the man was neither a heipomian nor a shinigami. She had no idea what he might be.

Rangiku turned back to Orihime. She didn't look distressed or even all that worried. She just looked like she was expecting something. She seemed to be all right, unharmed. Rangiku wondered what could've happened to Orihime. Why was she kidnapped at all?

She noticed the blond man had completely vanished. Alarms went off in her head when this fact registered. She was about to try to look for him a hand fell on her shoulder. "Excuse me miss, but can I help you?" a jovial voice asked. "It's not polite to lurk around like that."

Rangiku gasped. _This guy is fast enough to appear behind me without anyone noticing?_ Her heart pounded rapidly; who was the guy and what was he going to do?

Her companions drew their weapons and surrounded the man. "Back down!" Toushirou ordered.

"_Stop it!_" Orihime cried. "Field martial, you're not supposed to hurt them!"

"I wasn't going to hurt this woman," he said innocently. "I merely noticed them snooping around like common thieves and wanted to get their attention, Miss Ino'ue." His words were polite, but Rangiku sensed a mocking contempt lurking in the back of his voice.

"Field martial!" the dark-skinned woman called loudly. The man nodded slightly, then vanished again. He re-appeared next to a startled Orihime, his coat fluttering. He was smiling widely, as if it was all a fun game to him. Maybe it was his long face, or his sarcastic demeanor, but Rangiku found the peculiar field martial to be disquietingly similar to Gin Ichimaru. He had even gone for her first. But it was impossible—the man couldn't be Gin. They just happened to look and sound a bit similar.

"Ino'ue!" Rangiku heard Ichigo shout. "Are you okay?"

Orihime smiled and waved back to him. "Kurosaki! I'm fine, there's no need to worry about me!" She turned to the woman holding her arm. "Seia, please let me go talk to my friends for a while. I miss them."

The woman, Seia, nodded silently and released Orihime's arm. The heipomian surrounding them parted for Orihime to pass through. She dashed over to Ichigo, laughing happily. Rangiku had to smile seeing the human girl's joy at being reunited with her friends. "I missed you guys," she said. "How's Tatsuki and the other girls?"

"They're really worried about you, especially Tatsuki," Ichigo told her.

Seia left the circle and approached them swiftly in long striding steps. "Shinigami," she spoke in a cold, authoritative tone, "Orihime Ino'ue has proven herself to be extremely useful to our benefactors. She must decide whether she will help them in their goal and asked for three days to make her decision. In that time we are to cease all attacks on Karakura Town. However, should she try to escape or should Soul Society attempt to interfere, we will kill every shinigami from Soul Society and all allied individuals who enters Karakura Town. Can you inform your superiors of this?"

"I promise not to run away, Seia," Orihime said.

Toushirou stared hard at Seia, his eyes bewildered. "Yes," he eventually said, "I can arrange a meeting."

"Good," Seia said. "We will be waiting for Soul Society's answer." She turned to Orihime. "Orihime, I'm giving your two hours to spend here. Have some fun with your friends."

Orihime nodded. "Sure. Thanks Seia!"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

Field Marshal Fuisa Dehatsu (地花 斐沙元帥 (デハツ フイサげんすい) _Dehatsu Fuisa Gensui_)

Height: 178 cm

Weight: 66 kg

Hair color: Blond

Eye color: Green

Appearance: Fuisa is young and handsome with short curly hair and crafty eyes. His face is long and slender and his ears are long and pointed. He has great white-feathered wings.

Attire: Fuisa wears a black peaked cap and a long black trench coat over a black uniform with breeches, jackboots, and black gloves. A katana-like sword and a pistol are sheathed at his belt.

Personality: Fuisa is a clam, laid-back man with polite mannerisms but a sadistic, cynical personality. He is really quite driven, but hides this as he sees it as improper to show that you work hard. He is a field marshal in the Imperial Remuran Army.

* * *

_Author's note: Not much happened here. I'm just glad to get this chapter out of the way. Originally there was going to be a sexual scene between Seia and Tara, but it didn't really fit in after everything was done. We might get a scene between Tara and Suzuko soon though._

_Thank you for reading and reviewing._


	15. Smoke on the Water

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**15. ****スモーク・オン・ザ・ウォーター**

**15. Smoke on the Water**

It was rare for Kurotsuchi to feel true joy when the infliction of pain wasn't involved, but by some fortunate accident he had happily stumbled upon one of those occasions. He had been frustrated by his lack of success in finding any more clues to Niou's old research or what her mysterious experimental subject might have been. Nemu had wandered in at that moment, and when she asked if he'd like something to eat he had beat her until she curled up in the corner of the room and stopped moving. That had made him feel somewhat better, but it didn't help with solving the mystery.

On a whim he had decided to check up on his pet Quincy, who he had been neglecting to observe for some time. With the bacteria he had infected the boy with during their first encounter Kurotsuchi could monitor his every action. Since the boy lost his powers he wasn't all that interesting to watch.

Something had definitely changed when Kurotsuchi tuned in to see what Ishida was up to. Displayed on the computer monitor was a living room of sorts. Ishida was looking at two girls, a light-haired one and a dark-haired one, standing together by a couch. The three were holding a conversation. What was strange about the situation was that the conversation was being held in a language Kurotsuchi couldn't comprehend. He had replayed samples, trying to determine if he had heard wrong, and when it was evident that he had indeed heard correctly he played those samples into his computers for analysis. None could identify the language.

His interest piqued, Kurotsuchi backed up the recordings. As he did so, he took some time to read an up-to-date monitoring of Ishida's health status. The results informed him that Ishida's biological functions had been altered to such a monumental degree that he had ceased being a Quincy or even a human. What he might be now was unknown to all of his records. Most interesting to Kurotsuchi was that Ishida's body now fairly brimmed with power, meaning he was no longer defenseless. Again though, the power was of a kind completely undiscovered.

"_Ishida, stop! That's really gross!_"

The footage showed Ishida clutching the arm of that orange-haired female ryoka, her index finger apparently to his face. At the angle he couldn't tell what he was doing, but it seemed to be in his mouth.

Kurotsuchi had spent hours going through Ishida's life for the past three days. He saw the unknown creatures, the failed attack on the peculiar white-haired ryoka, Ishida's sudden desire for meat, and, most importantly, the explanation of the an'uuto and the revelation that Tara Niou and her cohorts were still alive.

Kurotsuchi suddenly felt like the luckiest man alive. Niou was alive, and as a ryoka he would be able to do anything he wanted with her. He could reclaim all of her search. Of course, with the an'uuto now running around he might be able to perform that research all on his own. He just needed to capture a few of them and he would be all set.

"_Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya requesting backup,_" the intercom suddenly blared.

Kurotsuchi gave disgusted sneer at the announcement; how dare his research be interrupted because that pipsqueak rookie needed some help! He had half a mind to totally ignore the announcement when it occurred to him that Hitsugaya was in Karakura Town. _That's where the an'uuto have been known to attack,_ he thought. A plan began to form in his twisted mind.

"Nemu," he said. She obediently got to her feet at the sound of his voice. "Go to Karakura Town with anyone else dispatched to go there. There's important work to be done…"

* * *

Suzuko was bored. With Seia, Dehatsu, and most of the heipomian gone there weren't many people for her to talk to. All she had to have fun with were Tara, Hotsuyoku, and the soldiers. Hotsuyoku and the soldiers weren't very interesting to her though. That left Tara…

Suzuko wandered through the darkened halls of Anheisi, her footsteps padding silently as she went. "Tara," she called softly, mischievously, "where are you? Come out and play with me…"

She checked the laboratory, Tara's favorite haunt. Hotsuyoku was there, checking something or another, but Tara wasn't present. She wasn't in the meeting hall or her room either. "Where can she be?" Suzuko asked herself as she checked other rooms.

Suzuko passed the meditation chamber. She heard a sound come from inside. Curious, Suzuko crept silently to the door and pressed her ear against it. It was definitely Tara's voice coming from behind the door. It sounded like she was chanting. _Is she performing a ritual? Casting an incantation?_ Suzuko wondered. _At least I know where Tara is now._

Soon enough, the door opened and Tara appeared. "Suzuko," she said, mildly surprised. "Fancy meeting you here."

"What are you doing in there?" Suzuko asked.

Tara smiled slyly. "I was…preparing something special."

Suzuko brightened. "For me?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Tara said casually, examining her flawless fingernails.

Suzuko pouted, disappointed by the revelation. "Well it sounded like you were casting a—"

Tara suddenly pressed a silencing finger to Suzuko's lips. She smiled mysteriously. "I _can_ tell you, my precious little pet," she cooed, "that the gift I was preparing left me with an acute feeling of…_desire._"

"Desire, huh?" Suzuko asked coyly. She smiled innocently and took the tip of Tara's finger into her mouth. Tara didn't object; her smile remained. Suzuko liked where the situation was going. She licked the fingertip then released Tara's hand. "Can I help fill that desire?"

Tara cocked her head. "Come to my room and we'll see."

Beside herself with excitement, Suzuko followed Tara to her room. The room was dark, as most an'uuto personal rooms were, and had shelves of books lining the walls. Suzuko sat down on the large bed while Tara closed the door. That finished, she hopped up next to her lover on the bed and leaned in close.

"So, what do you feel like?" Tara purred. She licked Suzuko's tender throat slowly. Suzuko sighed and leaned her head back. She began to remove her own clothes at a glacial pace, knowing it pleased Tara when she slowly exposed her lithe, muscular form to her.

After slipping the last of her clothes off, Suzuko turned around to face Tara, smiling coquettishly. She put a finger into her own mouth and gave Tara an innocent look. Like iron filings to a magnet, Tara was pulled to Suzuko. The older woman bought her mouth to Suzuko's as they began to run their hands eagerly over each other's bodies. Suzuko let her hands wander through her lover's midnight-black hair as Tara caressed her back. Tara's tongue entwined with her own, leaving Suzuko feeling weak.

Suzuko's hands finally came to the soft, supple flesh of Tara's pale breasts. Her skilled fingers slowly but firmly kneaded the full mounds under Tara's dark robe. Suzuko loved to play with large breasts, and Tara's were her favorite to playfully squeeze. She slipped the top of Tara's robes off, bringing the woman's full bosom into view. They were very pale, her nipples a pale pink color standing out against porcelain skin. Suzuko broke off the kiss to gaze lustfully at Tara's bountiful breasts. She continued to caress and tease them, her hands moving to the underside of the breasts, fingers moving in lazy circles around the outside.

Tara sighed sensually, her white face growing flushed. She reached up and tried to bring Suzuko's fingers to her nipples, but Suzuko resisted, keeping her focus on the outer areas. Slowly, her fingers circled closer to the center of Tara's breasts teasingly, keeping Tara on edge. She was free to enjoy Tara's shapely mounds for as long as she wanted and wasn't about to let their session end any time soon.

"_Suzuko…_" Tara panted longingly. Suzuko released her breasts and began to sensually wet her fingers, her tongue slowly licking the tips of her thumbs and index fingers. When she was finished, she took Tara's pink nipples lightly. With torturously slow movements she gently rolled and squeezed Tara's nipples. Tara sighed again. She reached out and caressed Suzuko's smooth back, playing with her hair. Her fingers worked their way into Suzuko's braided ponytail and undid the braids, causing the blonde hair spill out everywhere. Suzuko felt her hair come undone, framing her face messily, and she sighed too. She felt Tara's hot nipples were diamond-hard between her fingers now, and decided it was time for something else.

Without warning, Suzuko shoved Tara backwards roughly. In a second Suzuko was on her, pouncing like an animal. Her powerful legs encircled Tara's slender waist tightly, holding her in place as Suzuko roughly took Tara's right nipple into her pretty mouth. Tara cried out as her young lover lavished her nipple with her hot tongue. Suzuko reached out to pinch and squeeze the left nipple mercilessly. She bit and sucked at the large breast, relishing the groans she heard from Tara. She sunk her fangs into the warm, pliant tissue; immediately she felt the hot, sweet blood bubble into her mouth, and she sucked it down greedily, like a newborn with her mother's milk.

Tara hastily wriggled out of the rest of her robe and undergarments, leaving her completely naked. Suzuko felt Tara's hands grip her back tightly, clutching her to Tara's hot body. Suzuko released the bloodied breast and adjusted herself atop Tara's writhing form. Tara roughly kissed her, shoving her tongue into Suzuko's mouth. Their bodies pressed together, breasts squashed against breasts, and pubic mounds grinding together in erotic frenzy. For the first time, Suzuko realized how wet she was; she could feel her fluids—or perhaps they were Tara's—on her vagina and running down her thighs.

A sharp, sweet pain lanced through Suzuko's throat, causing the girl to cry out in ecstasy. Tara had sunk her fangs into her, Suzuko's rapidly beating heart pumping blood into Tara's hot mouth. It was as if Tara's fangs had released a powerful aphrodisiac into her system. Suzuko screamed as she was brought to orgasm, shuddering violently with each climax.

After a delicious eternity, Tara smoothly withdrew her fangs and lapped up the blood leaking from the small puncture wounds. Suzuko groaned, feeling dizzy. Her crotch was sticky and wet, still tender from being mashed against Tara's.

Tara suddenly pressed her lips to Suzuko's. The kiss was soft this time, sweet and loving, the sharp taste of Suzuko's blood in her mouth. She embraced Suzuko and made the girl rest her head against Tara's chest. "I love you Suzuko," Tara said softly.

"And I _really_ love you, Tara!" Suzuko replied in a breathless, excited tone. "You and Seia! I love you more than candy and rainbows and even fluffy bunnies!"

Tara smiled down at her in warm, somewhat tired fashion. "Of course, of course."

Suzuko snuggled against Tara, thoroughly enjoying her warmth. "Hey, Tara," she started, "Rubihatsu said we're gonna be together forever. You, and Seia, and me. That's true, isn't it?"

"Silly. Of course it's true.

"Yeah."

* * *

Toushirou couldn't stop staring. It was getting to the point where Rangiku was feeling embarrassed for him. "Captain," she whispered into his ear, "I don't think they like that you're staring."

"I just don't believe it," he responded quietly. "It really is Seia Kazama. Not only that but she hasn't aged at all! Can an'uuto really do things like that?"

Seia was standing still, arms folded under her chest, a stony expression on her ebony face. Rangiku noticed the woman seemed pleasant in Orihime's presence, but since Orihime left to talk to Ichigo and her other friends Seia grew cold looking. Rangiku had to admit she was exquisitely beautiful, but her unfriendly disposition marred that beauty somewhat.

Seia's eyes then focused on her and Toushirou. Rangiku gulped nervously.

"What are you staring at?" she asked in a voice as cold as ice.

"Sorry!" Rangiku apologized. "We'll stop staring." She was taken aback by the sheer hate she felt in the woman's voice. It was treatment she was used to from hollows, but to feel such hatred from a fellow shinigami was beyond chilling.

Seia continued to glare hatefully at them, her golden eyes boring holes. Rangiku wanted to glance away, but the woman's eyes transfixed her. "The day will soon come," Seia intoned darkly, "when we will storm Soul Society. The forces of darkness will raze your defenses and crush all opposition. When we have Soul Society under our control then we will divide the innocent and the unrepentant. The innocent and the redeemed will be accepted to join the new society. The unrepentant and wicked will be slaughtered like the animals they are." Her eyes glittered unpleasantly. "I wonder where you two will fall."

Rangiku felt weak. She didn't want to hear another word from Seia. She motioned to Toushirou. "Let's go, captain, please."

"Gladly," he spat. They turned around and walked away, leaving the angry former shinigami behind them. Even so, Seia's words continued to haunt Rangiku.

"I don't understand," Toushirou said. He too was clearly shaken by Seia's diatribe. "What could drive someone once so loyal to that kind of evil? What happened to her?"

"This is gonna sound crazy," Rangiku said, "but I don't think Seia's evil. She's angry and dangerous, but…I dunno. I just have a feeling she's not a bad person on the inside."

"If that's the case," Toushirou responded, "then that makes things even worse. Aizen is a megalomaniac who desires power. If Kazama thinks Soul Society needs to be punished for a moral reason then she thinks she's in the right and nothing will change her mind. That's the most terrifying opponent you can ever face."

Rangiku nodded wordlessly.

* * *

Because Hitsugaya had called for backup earlier, other lieutenants were pouring into Karakura Town. The situation had been made clear to them, but the situation still felt volatile.

"So how are they treating you?" Kurosaki asked, concerned.

"That prince, Resu, tried to hurt me," Orihime said. "But he was stopped by Seia Kazama, the woman who brought me here. Seia's a wonderful person, making sure I'm comfortable and happy. I was still a prisoner though because I wouldn't agree to help them fight Soul Society. They say I'm special, but I don't know how exactly."

She looked around. "How's Ishida doing? Is he here?"

"He's holed up somewhere," Sado said. "He's getting used to being an an'uuto now."

"So you guys know about the an'uuto already?" Orihime said. "That saves me a big explanation!"

Kuchiki nodded. "A human-turned-an'uuto named Mion Hoshi filled us in. Ishida convinced her to give us information on the an'uuto, and now she's providing support to the shinigami stationed in Karakura Town."

"That's good," Orihime said with a nod. "I hope Ishida doesn't mind being an an'uuto."

"They didn't turn you into one, did they?" Kurosaki asked.

Orihime waved her hand. "Oh no. They can't—I was told one of the reasons I'm special is because I 'reject' an'uuto power, so I can never become an an'uuto."

Orihime's face grew serious. She supposed it was time to tell them about her offer. "Guys, I don't know why I'm special to the an'uuto, but the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns—the rulers of a place called Remuran that is—told me that I can do a lot of good if I help them. But they don't seem like good people. They said a lot of bad things about Soul Society and shinigami, but…I don't really trust them. Seia does though, and Seia seems nice enough."

"What do they want you to do?" Kurosaki asked.

"I don't know yet," she admitted. "The Exquisite Sovereigns want to take me back to the World of Darkness forever so I can do what they want me to do."

"Forever?" Kurosaki gasped.

"They agreed to let me decide for myself," Orihime said. "I have three days to observe things and reach a conclusion. I don't think I'll agree to their terms, but I don't know how to say that without making Seia sad. She really wants me to go to the World of Darkness and make it my new home."

She sighed sadly. "I can't imagine going with them, but I want Seia to be happy! I don't know what to do…"

The others looked at each other. Orihime could tell they seemed to be at a loss of a flawless answer to her problem too. "Well," Kuchiki said after some thought, "if this Seia's really your friend then she'll understand if you don't want to go with her."

Orihime murmured an agreement, but didn't really believe it. "Kuchiki, you believe Soul Society is good, right?"

Kuchiki was taken aback. "Of course I do, Ino'ue."

"Even after all that's happened?" Orihime probed. "You don't feel angry?"

"Everyone was being manipulated by Aizen," Kuchiki answered, anger creeping into her voice.

Orihime nodded slightly. "Oh, yes, I guess that's right."

"Don't let that woman tell you Soul Society's evil!" Kuchiki exclaimed. "She murdered and _ate_ people before betraying Soul Society!"

"I know, she told me everything," Orihime said, defensively. "It wasn't Seia's fault; her hunger made her do it."

"So she's no better than a hollow," Kuchiki retorted viciously.

Orihime felt like she had been stabbed in the stomach. She stared at Kuchiki unbelievingly. "You…" It was all she could get out before turning around and running away as fast as she could.

"_Ino'ue!_" she heard Kurosaki cry behind her. Angry tears stung her eyes as she ran, her teeth clenched together so tightly that her jaw ached. _How could Kuchiki say those awful things? She doesn't know anything about Seia! _

She didn't trust Tara Niou or the Exquisite Sovereigns, but Orihime wasn't sure she trusted Soul Society either now. What the Exquisite Sovereigns and Seia said about the shinigami made more sense every time she though about it, and that greatly disturbed her. Could it really be that Soul Society was a corrupt, evil place unfit for governing souls? Did the Exquisite Sovereigns really mean what they said?

Orihime ran until she saw Seia up ahead. She was standing where Orihime had last seen her in the park. Seia noticed her, a look of mild surprise on her face. "Orihime! You're done already?"

Orihime smiled weakly, glad to see Seia again. "Hi Seia. I'm not done yet—I just want to tell some other friends that I'll be gone. They're not as spiritually aware so they won't see you."

Seia nodded. "I see. I can get you there quickly if you want."

Orihime's smile broadened. "Really? That would be great."

Seia turned around so her back was facing her. "Hold on tight and tell me where to go."

"Really?" Orihime asked, amazed. She shrugged and put her arms tightly around Seia's waist.

"Ready?" Seia asked.

"Yeah!" Orihime confirmed.

"Good. Here we go!" Seia took off running. In a moment they were in the air, Seia's feet pounding off of seemingly nothing at all. Everything was like a blur to the dazzled girl.

"Go right…now left…keep going…" Orihime instructed. "Okay, that's the place! Oh, wait! There's Tatsuki now!"

Seia dropped down softly and Orihime detached herself. She stepped over to Tatsuki, who was sitting by herself on a fence. The spiky-haired girl looked over and gasped when she saw her friend. "Orihime! Where have you been? Were you not feeling well today?"

"Sorry about worrying you and everyone else, Tatsuki," Orihime said with an apologetic smile. "I…have to be somewhere for a while."

"What?" Tatsuki asked, greatly puzzled. "Where?"

Orihime opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. She didn't even know where to begin telling her story to Tatsuki. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said finally.

"What's going on?" Tatsuki asked. She took her friend's hand in her own and looked her right in the eye. "Please tell me Orihime! I know something weird's been happening for a while now. How are you involved?"

Orihime wanted to tell Tatsuki everything very badly, but all she said was, "Tatsuki, I need to tell you that I may not be coming back."

"_What!?_" Tatsuki demanded. "Orihime…"

"I'm sure I'll be coming back," Orihime said. "But there's a little chance I'll…move away and never be seen again. I mean, I don't think it'll come to that but I need to warn you, just in case."

Tatsuki stared at Orihime in disbelief. "What are you saying?" she asked quietly.

Orihime noticed Seia standing some distance away. She looked anxious. _I guess she wants me to hurry up,_ she thought. _That was awfully fast._

Orihime pulled away from her friend. "I'm sorry Tatsuki, but I need to go now. I'll try to come back if I can tomorrow!" Before Tatsuki could react, Orihime had run away back to Seia. Soon Seia was bounding away, leaving Tatsuki far behind. Orihime felt terrible about it, but now she needed to see her other friends.

"You don't need to leave her behind," Seia said. "I can make your friend into an an'uuto and you can take her with you."

Orihime blinked. That was a possibility and it would make going to the World of Darkness more inviting, but she didn't want to force Tatsuki into something like that. "That would be nice but I don't want to take Tatsuki away from her family or anything like that," she said. "Thank you for the suggestion."

"I just want you to be happy, Orihime."

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

**Sunseoi and Gaiza**

Sunseoi (純粋 (スンセオイ) _Sunseoi_) are an'uuto naturally born in the World of Darkness. Examples include Prince Resu, Pasatsu Hotsuyoku, Fuisa Dehatsu, and the Exquisite Sovereigns. Gaiza (改者 (ガイザ) _Gaiza_) are foreigners converted into an'uuto, either accidentally or on purpose. Examples include María Susana, Tara Niou, Seia Kazama, Suzuko Nouhara, Uryuu Ishida, Mion Hoshi, and all the heipomian. Some creatures become gaiza better than others, like hollows.

* * *

_Author's note: Another chapter. Unfortunately I'm having trouble coming up with new material at this point. I don't know what to do with Kurotsuchi and Nemu at the moment, and if I don't get some very good inspiration, the next few chapters might be nothing but Orihime listening to Seia talk on and on about the World of Darkness and the Exquisite Sovereigns. Oh, and Orihime continues to have weird dreams and Rangiku and María get closer. And Uryuu learns to live with his dark powers with Mion's help. Actually, that sounds like some good material after all. But I sill need something good to do with Kurotsuchi and Nemu._


	16. Use Your Illusion I

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

_Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**16. ****ユーズ・ユア・イリュージョン ****I**

**16. Use Your Illusion I**

"That really could've gone better, Rukia," Ichigo remarked crossly.

Rukia gritted her teeth. "I know; I really messed things up. I lost my temper when Ino'ue started questioning Soul Society and I have no excuse for doing so."

She, Ichigo, and Sado were standing in the park. Confused shinigami milled about, annoyed that they had been called to fight when all that the enemy wanted to do was talk. Still, they were nervous about the strange new enemy that had suddenly appeared. Making matters more annoying were the humans showing up to gawk. The shinigami were invisible to the majority of humans, and it seemed the an'uuto were invisible too. So what were the humans staring at?

"What's with that blond guy?" Rukia overheard someone whisper. Rukia followed their gaze and figured they were speaking about the one Ino'ue had addressed as a field martial. "He's got pointy ears and wings and he's dressed like a Nazi! Is he an actor?"

She sighed. So most of the an'uuto were spirits like her, but that one guy wasn't. That could only mean that the "original" an'uuto from the World of Darkness were not spirits themselves but were still spiritually sensitive enough to perceive shinigami and hollows. It looked like some memories would have to be replaced before the day was over.

Rukia watched the an'uuto escorting Ino'ue back into the park. Her eyes met Ino'ue's briefly, and Ino'ue quickly looked away. Rukia couldn't remember seeing the human girl so angry before. She felt terrible for going off and making Ino'ue so upset, but Rukia knew without a doubt that the people holding Ino'ue were nothing but debased monsters who wanted to fill her head with anti-Soul Society propaganda. Rukia had to get through to her so Ino'ue would see the truth.

_But how am I supposed to do that?_ she wondered. _I can't get to where Ino'ue's being held or else the an'uuto will begin targeting any shinigami in Karakura Town. I'm going to need some real evidence against them to convince her._

Rukia noticed Ino'ue and the traitorous shinigami woman approaching them. "Hello Kurosaki, Sado, Kuchiki," Ino'ue said. She didn't even glance at Rukia. "Seia told me my time's up and I have to return to Anheisi with them. She said I can come back tomorrow night if I want. Tell Ishida I said 'hello' please."

"Sure Ino'ue," Ichigo responded.

"Ino'ue," said Rukia with as much sincerity as she could muster, "I apologize for what I said earlier. I'm really sorry."

Ino'ue slowly turned to her, an unreadable look on her face. Rukia felt very uncomfortable under such a gaze. "You should be, Kuchiki," she finally said in a flat tone. With that, she turned around, her long hair fluttering behind her, and walked away with Kazama.

"She really is mad," Sado remarked, sounding somewhat shocked under his usually unflappable demeanor. "This doesn't look good."

"That's putting it mildly," Ichigo replied.

Rukia said nothing. She just wondered what she could do to fix the feelings between her and Ino'ue.

* * *

Among the various shinigami who had been summoned to aid Captain Hitsugaya in Karakura Town was Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi. She wasn't really there to help Hitsugaya, of course—hers was a mission of reconnaissance.

The first thing she took notice of were the enemies gathered in the park area. She recognized the orange-haired ryoka who had been accompanying the Quincy male. She made sure to get a good look at each of the creatures surrounding the girl, the images being uploaded to Master Mayuri's headquarters. Once he had those images then it would be a simple matter for the rest of the Gotei 13 to recognize the enemy forces. That was only part of her mission though; what Master Mayuri really wanted was information on the Quincy male and the two unidentified females he had been conversing with in the unknown language. Master Mayuri theorized that wherever the Quincy was the two females might be nearby. If the opportunity presented itself she was to capture one of them and return to headquarters. She doubted that the subject would survive the process of research, but Master Mayuri needed to know everything he could from the strange creatures. Just as in war, some sacrifices were necessary in the name of science.

* * *

The weird guy with the wings approached Toushirou, and envelope in his gloved hand. "Here you go," he said in a cheerful tone, although Rangiku had not heard the man say anything in any other tone. "Here are our conditions, little guy. Please show the grown-ups back home and maybe I'll give you some candy for a good job. Okay?"

Toushirou shot the man and deadly look and snatched the envelope from him. Rangiku tried not to laugh. "I'll be sure to show this to my superiors," he responded.

"Good boy!" The field martial reached down and ruffled Toushirou's hair. The captain gave an indignant gasp and stepped back out of reach.

The field martial turned around and waved his hand "Toodle-oo!" he laughed, walking off to the heipomian.

"Was that man supposed to represent the World of Darkness?" Toushirou asked in an irritated growl. "He's mad!"

"I almost wish these guys would just attack Soul Society and get it over with," Rangiku said. "I don't wanna have to wait through their diplomacy and dealings. Can't we find a reason to just bust into their place and get Orihime back?"

"I wish," Toushirou answered. "The problem is that if these people really are representing a foreign power then an all-out war between us and them can begin if we recklessly attack, and that's the last thing we need when Aizen can strike at any moment."

"But they already attacked people in Karakura Town!" Rangiku insisted. "Isn't that enough?"

"I don't think they were specifically aiming for shinigami then though. Who knows _what_ they were aiming for, but it was only during the second attack they seemed to target shinigami specifically. Now that they're trying to give us some kind of treaty we have to at least listen before we do anything."

Rangiku grumbled and kicked at the grass. It wasn't fair—the an'uuto had attacked first. Rangiku felt Soul Society had every right to make a preemptive strike on them. With María's help she was sure they could pull it off.

_María…_Rangiku didn't even want to think about the an'uuto crisis any more. She just wanted to get back to María and have fun with her. Get drunk with her, go dancing, or maybe even just cuddling together. Rangiku didn't really care what they did together as long as it felt good.

She glanced over her shoulder. The invaders plus Orihime had opened a gaping black gash in the air. Some from of the hollow ability Garganta, she guessed. The group filed through the dark tear, closing up behind them with a loud grinding sound. It reminded her of when María first appeared in Soul Society. She had used the same ability to get there too, aided by the power of the heidushuijing.

_I hope there's still something to drink at Mion's place._

* * *

Moment by agonizing moment passed by. Mion sat in a hunched position, her hands clenched tightly, her eyes wide and nervous. Ishida and Susana weren't moving much either, simply sitting in the dark anxiously. Mion could feel what was happening better than either of them though, so it was troubling to her how nothing seemed to be happening. What was going on outside? Were the an'uuto and the shinigami locked in a standoff? Was a fight gong to break out any second now?

Mion suddenly sat up straight, startling the other two. "What? What is it?" Ishida demanded.

"They're gone," Mion said, bewildered.

"What?" Susana asked.

"The an'uuto. I can't feel them any more. They just left."

"So nothing happened?" Susana asked.

"It seems that way." Mion reached into her jacket and removed her carton of cigarettes. She produced a lighter and lit the tip of her cigarette. She took a long drag and blew the smoke out with a relieved sigh. "Let's be grateful for that."

"All that worrying for nothing," Susana muttered. She stretched her arms and yawned. "I could use a bite. What about you guys?"

"Come to think of it, I am rather hungry," Ishida said.

Mion glanced at the clock on the wall. Seven thirty-nine. That was good. She'd have plenty of time to be with Ishida now. "Get something to eat," she said, addressing Ishida. "We're gonna be busy tonight."

Ishida nodded. "I see. I'll get ready."

* * *

Orihime was back at Anheisi, a pair of soldiers escorting her down a hall, Seia marching in front of them. Orihime glanced at the soldiers beside. It occurred to her that she hadn't taken a good look at the many soldiers standing around the complex. These two were dressed in identical solid black uniforms plated with shiny black body armor. Their faces were completely covered by what appeared to be gas masks built into round helmets, giving them an eerie insect-like appearance. That the eyeholes were mirrored only lent itself even better to the sinister impression. Curved Japanese-style swords were thrust into scabbards hanging from their belts, and long black rifles were slung over their shoulders. Along with the swords, the soldiers had what appeared to be pistols and combat knives. Occasionally they would say something to each other or to Seia, their voices inhumanly deep and distorted. Orihime didn't like being near the soldiers at all. Frankly, nearly everything about Remuran seemed dark and foreboding, from the soldiers to the architecture to the Exquisite Sovereigns themselves. It didn't leave a very good impression on her. The sole comforting element was Seia.

Thinking of Seia again brought Kuchiki to mind. Orihime's anger still simmered, even if Kuchiki had apologized. It _was_ horrible that Seia and her friends had been eating people, but they couldn't help it at the time, could they? Orihime didn't see Seia going around killing and eating people, so that urge must've passed. Kuchiki had no right to say Seia's no different from a hollow. If she just knew how kind Seia really was…

They passed through the set of doors that lead to that large meeting room Orihime had met Niou and Nouhara in. Seia motioned to a chair and one of the soldiers stepped forward to pull it out. "Have a seat Orihime," she said pleasantly.

Orihime sat down. Seia sat next to her. "The Exquisite Sovereigns have recognized your request to decide," Seia said. "They just wish to have your word first."

"My word?" Orihime asked.

The air once again shimmered over the table. The dark silhouette of Rubihatsu once again appeared, as inscrutable as ever. "_Good evening, Miss Ino'ue,_" he said in a smooth, masculine tone. It seemed to just be him this time. Orihime also didn't feel his terrible icy reiatsu radiating through the chamber.

"Good evening to you too…erm, King Rubihatsu? Emperor Rubihatsu?"

"_My official titles are 'Exquisite Sovereign' or 'Emperor',_" he clarified. Orihime noticed his disposition seemed different too now, more cordial. The effect was much more comfortable, especially without his reiatsu pressing down on her and chilling her bones.

"Emperor Rubihatsu," she said, "I'm sorry for my outburst the last time we spoke, but I do want some answers as to why your forces attacked my town and hurt people." She tried to sound firm.

"_I'm afraid that was because of an ill-considered and unauthorized plan conceived by Prince Resu,_" Rubihatsu said. He sounded regretful. "_You see, I had given the Anyetuan a crystal of great power, one that would make invading Soul Society a simple matter. The crystal was stolen by a traitorous member though, so the Anyetuan was forced to rely on less elegant means of getting at Soul Society. Prince Resu had hoped that by causing enough chaos in your town Soul Society would send down agents. He planned to kill these agents until Soul Society was weakened enough for a full-scale invasion._"

"I know you think Soul Society is evil," Orihime said, "but it isn't right that innocent people got hurt because of it.

"_I'm deeply sorry,_" Rubihatsu said."_Prince_ _Resu shall be held fully accountable for all of his actions._" He sounded sincere. Orihime felt a little bad now for him now.

"You're really going to punish him as a criminal?" she asked.

"_I have to. I have to uphold justice, even if it is my own family,_" he said sadly.

"Your own son," Orihime said. "This must be very hard for you."

"_It is the responsibility of an Exquisite Sovereign._"

Orihime wasn't sure what to think now. Rubihatsu seemed like a completely different person. _Is this how he really is and the last time he was just trying to intimidate me? Is this all just an act? What's going on here? _

"Erm…About my word?" she asked.

"_Oh, yes, of course._" An official-looking document and a pen appeared on the table before Orihime with a shimmer. Orihime took both items. The document was in the an'uuto language, but as soon as she touched it the characters squirmed and ran together, as though the ink had melted. She blinked and the document had changed to being printed in Japanese.

"_It is merely a reiteration of our terms to Soul Society while you make up your mind,_" Rubihatsu said. "_While you are here Anyetuan will abstain from giving any orders to attack agents of Soul Society and Soul Society will abstain from giving any orders to attack agents of Anyetuan. If Soul Society attempts to interfere then the attacks will resume and Anyetuan will send you off Remuran immediately. Likewise, if Anyetuan fails to honor the treaty then you will be turned over to Soul Society first before fighting resumes._"

Orihime looked over the document. It was extremely long and complicated. She was only barely able to make out what Rubihatsu said in the first paragraph. Looking at the rest of the document with its small, hard to read print was making her eyes glaze over. "This seems to give a lot of benefits to Anyetuan and very few to Soul Society," she observed. "Shouldn't Soul Society be allowed to take someone from Anyetuan prisoner for the sake of fairness?"

"_The fact is that Soul Society currently has a much larger force than Anyetuan,_" said Rubihatsu. "_If Anyetsuan breaks the treaty the retaliation will be devastating. You are currently the only element keeping them from destroying this organization._"

"That, and the fact they don't know where we are," Orihime pointed out. "It's fully possible you could kidnap me now and then tell Soul Society I chose to go there willingly. Soul Society will be taking a lot on faith with this document."

"_You wound me,_" Rubihatsu said. His voice was calm but hard and deadly. "_I am a man of my word. I will not let this contract be violated in any way. Any one who does violate it, no matter which side they are on, shall suffer my wrath._"

His tone sacred Orihime. "Okay, I believe you. I'll sign." She looked to the bottom of the document. Written on one of the signature lines in bold pen strokes that bordered on calligraphy was the name 路希法.

_Rokihou? No, wait, this is his name,_ she thought. She smiled, noting how appropriate Rubihatsu's name was. She signed her own name on the signature line.

"All right. I'm done."

"_Thank you, Miss Ino'ue. Please have a pleasant evening._" The image began to shimmer and fade.

"You too, Emperor Rubihatsu," Orihime replied. The image faded a second later.

"Rubihatsu takes contracts and promises very seriously," Seia said. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I hope not," Orihime responded.

Seia took the contract and rolled it up into a scroll. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "You haven't eaten since coming here."

Orihime realized that she was very hungry. Her stomach took that very moment to growl loudly. She patted her belly sheepishly. "Oh, I guess I haven't," she said with an embarrassed smile. "So what's for dinner?"

Seia smiled. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat."

Seia got up with the two soldiers and moved off, Orihime following closely behind. _I sure hope they have food I can eat,_ she thought. _I can't drink blood!_

* * *

Uryuu watched as the shinigami shuffled through the door to Hoshi's mansion. They looked relieved. He figured there really hadn't been any fighting.

He was sitting at the dinner table, quietly eating some pork cutlets. Hoshi and Susana were there too, eating similar dishes. He noticed they had somewhat more elaborate dinners though, with rice and vegetables. He couldn't stomach anything other than meat and blood since becoming an an'uuto. He wondered if it was possible to grow out of that diet, or perhaps Hoshi and Susana just tolerated more types of food better than he could.

When the shinigami came in, Susana looked and got out of her chair. When she saw Lieutenant Matsumoto she strode over to her and took her hands into her own. "I'm so glad you're safe!" she breathed.

"Yeah. Luckily we didn't have to fight!" Matsumoto said. Uryuu noticed the two were smiling at one another and looking deeply into each other's eyes. He raised an eyebrow at the display.

_They're awfully close,_ he observed dryly. _I wonder…_

A hand fell on his shoulder. "Come on," Hoshi said. "We have a long night ahead of us. You need to make the most of this time to learn about what it means to be an an'uuto."

Uryuu nodded and quickly finished his meal. After returning his dish to the kitchen, he followed Hoshi out to the back yard. It wasn't particularly well kept, but it was wide and private. There were numerous large trees dotted around the place. He had to marvel at the amount of land the property covered.

"How do you afford all of this?" he asked. "This place is huge."

"Let's talk about that later," Hoshi answered curtly. She dragged on a fresh cigarette, staring off into the night sky. "We need to talk about an'uuto power." She whipped around suddenly to face him. "You're a Quincy, right? How do you use your abilities?"

"The Quincy draw in reishi and reiryoku from their surroundings to provide substance for most of our abilities," Uryuu explained.

"Well forget about that," Hoshi said, blowing a plume of smoke out. "From now on, you learn to use an'uuto abilities."

Uryuu felt a twinge of annoyance at her words. "I don't plan to spend the rest of my life this way," he stated. "I just need to stay this way until this whole situation has passed. I know someone can probably cure me, but she's in the hands of the enemy so I need to bring her back first."

Hoshi narrowed her and took a step closer to him, the tip of her cigarette almost touching his nose. Uryuu realized he had made a very grave mistake with what he said. "So you think this is just some disease?" she asked quietly. "You think this is something to be cured of?"

"I—"

"Let me tell you," she interjected, "I prefer this to being some pathetic human, shinigami, hollow, and whatever the hell else is out there!" She angry flicked her cigarette to the ground and forcefully stomped on it. "I wouldn't go back to being human for _anything!_ This is my life now, and I like it this way!"

Uryuu put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Okay! I'm sorry!" he pleaded. "I just didn't understand what it means to be an an'uuto!" He hoped she wasn't so mad she'd abandon him. He really needed someone to teach him about fighting as an an'uuto.

She stood still, breathing heavily, her nostrils flaring. For a long time she said nothing. Just as Uryuu was really beginning to worry, Hoshi seemed to calm down, her breathing returning to normal. She pulled out yet another cigarette and lit it. She puffed on it for a moment.

"Okay," she said, her voice level one more. "I'm sorry I got mad at you. You need to learn about this stuff as soon as possible. We can't waste time getting mad."

"All right," Uryuu said. "Please teach me."

"Here's the deal," Hoshi began; "instead of gathering up your power you gotta get used to knowing it's already inside you. An an'uuto's soul is made up of and produces 'dark energy'. You gotta pay dark energy to use 'dark arts'. It's what we got instead of reiryoku."

"So I sacrifice portions of my own soul for power?" Uryuu asked.

"Kinda, yeah," Hoshi said. She scratched her head indifferently.

"What happens if all of it is used up?" He was now mildly alarmed.

"Then your soul dies and you stop existing." She grinned evilly. "Kinda like what happens to a hollow when killed by a Quincy, know what I mean?"

Uryuu swallowed nervously. He envisioned his own soul imploding and fading away to nothingness after casting a spell, his soulless body slumping lifelessly to the floor.

"Aw, don't look so worried," Hoshi said. "Remember I said that the soul is made of _and produces_ dark energy. Any missing piece of your soul grows back pretty quickly. Secondly, dark arts takes very small payments of dark energy. Mere fractions of your soul. And those are replenished in no time anyway. Really, only the most dumbass reckless spell casters got anything to worry about."

Uryuu immediately felt better. "That's good to know," he said. "Still, I have to know if it's possible to increase the amount of dark energy you have."

"Sure it's possible," Hoshi answered. "It's all a matter of strengthening your soul. You just leave your body and practice doing stuff as a soul."

"Interesting," he said. "So how do I use this dark energy?"

"That's difficult to explain," Hoshi said. "It takes a lot of discipline, but if you've got training in reiryoku then it should work similarly. Grab your inner darkness and strike the world with it."

Uryuu nodded. "Let's get started then."

Hoshi nodded and smiled. "Cool. Now, try to picture the universe separated into darkness and light. Focus on that darkness."

Uryuu shut his eyes and concentrated. He envisioned yin and yang placed superimposed over the planet. Then he focused solely on the blackness of yin.

"Draw it into yourself," Hoshi instructed, her voice dropping to an almost seductive whisper. "It's yours to control, to manipulate. All it wants in return is an itty-bitty piece of your soul…"

_Darkness, give me power. Return Koujaku to me. I have the dark energy you want. _

He drew his hands back like he was holding Kojaku. He felt a sensation akin to cold water flowing through his body. It circulated through him, moving into his arms. He focused harder, forcing the cold flow into his hands.

_Now give me power in return!_

"You got it?" Hoshi demanded. "You got it? Now use it against the sky! Shoot it, discharge it, whatever! Find out the name and say it!"

Find out the name? Uryuu had no idea what she meant by that. Was he supposed to automatically know the name of a technique?

"_Kojaku,_" he muttered under his breath.

"Something's happening…" Hoshi said. "Keep going."

He could feel the coldness move from his hands, taking solid shape. It wasn't stable though; the coldness would fade and retreat back into his body, requiring him to force it back out again.

"Learn the name!" Hoshi demanded. "It won't appear without a name!"

"_Kojaku! Kojaku!_" he yelled.

"That can't be the name!" Hoshi yelled.

"_What is the name them!_" Uryuu yelled back. He struggled to keep Kojaku' shape. He was growing weary from trying to manipulate the magic.

"Hell if I know! It's not my technique. Only you know the name!"

_Only I know the name…Kojaku isn't the name…_It came to Uryuu in that moment. As much as he wanted his old bow he couldn't have it back, not as an an'uuto. He had a different bow, a black one formed from yin. A black version of Kojaku…

"_Hetofujaku!_" he yelled in the an'uuto language. This time the power surged through his hands. The phantom bow solidified, cold and lethal. He opened his eyes to find the intricate black bow in his hands. It was larger than Kojaku and had an elaborate spider web pattern. He smiled grimly.

"Hetofujaku," he said. He pointed up toward the night sky, pulled back the bowstring, and fired a black arrow off. He repeated the motion, and again, and again.

"I think Hetofujaku is even stronger than Kojaku!" he said. "This power…No wonder you prefer being an an'uuto!"

Hoshi chuckled. "Not so fast there. You need to regulate those arrows. Each one is a piece of your soul. You're gonna have to learn to control how much power you put into each shot."

"And doubtless there are better arrows to create," Uryuu said. "I'll have an entire arsenal when I'm done training!"

"I've heard of special bow techniques," Hoshi said. "Soldiers who could turn one arrow into 1200, arrows that home in on targets, and shots of ice or lightning. But let's work on the basics first…"

* * *

To Orihime's inestimable relief, Seia's associates did in fact have food that she could comfortably eat. Interestingly, white rice was grown in the World of Darkness and eaten much like it was in Japan. Rice was one of the foods delivered from Remuran to Anyetuan, along with a number of interesting meats. Orihime had a hot bowl of steamed white rice with some tasty pieces of marinated meat and some pickled vegetables. As she sat next to Seia at the table, eating her food, she thought about all the interesting dishes she could make if she had the chance to study Remuranian cuisine. As far she could tell Remuranian cuisine was very similar to Japanese cuisine, but with a bigger variety of meat and with blood often sprinkled like a sauce over food (Orihime naturally declined to do that to her own food). For drinks she got to choose between tea, milk, water, and blood. She picked tea.

"This food is really good," she told Seia, popping a piece of meat into her mouth with chopsticks. "I'd love to cook some of this for myself."

"You'll have all the time in the world to learn if you come with us," Seia said with a smile.

"Exquisite Sovereign Mamun is one of the most famous chefs in all the World of Darkness," Nouhara remarked. "She would gladly give you lessons."

Orihime frowned. "I guess so." Even though she was supposed to be thinking about whether she wanted to go to Remuran or not she didn't feel like debating it. She wondered which of the Exquisite Sovereigns Mamun was. Did he or she talk during that gathering?

Orihime sat to Seia's left. To Seia's right were Niou and Nouhara. Niou was sipping from a glass of blood while Nouhara was eating some vegetables. Seia had opted for a bowl similar to Orihime's. Sometimes the three would converse in the an'uuto language, but the conversations didn't last long.

"So what's Emperor Rubihatsu like?" Orihime asked.

Seia chewed softly at her food. "It's a little hard to explain him when you don't know him in person yourself," she said. "I can say he's a man of contradictions. He's the closest thing to a god I've ever met. His power is unbelievable and he's more or less immortal. Yet he still eats, talks to friends, plays games, gets bored when nothing's going on; normal things like that."

Orihime nodded, but she had trouble picturing that huge, scary silhouette acting like a normal person.

"Seia, can we do something tomorrow?"

"Like what?" Seia asked.

"I'd just like to send time together," Orihime said. "Have fun, talk about things. I need to know more to help me decide."

She failed to notice the brief smiles and the glance Niou and Nouhara gave each other as she said that.

Seia gave Orihime a smile. "I'd be delighted to, Orihime. You're so pleasant to be around."

"Thanks Seia." She glanced up at the ceiling, wondering what everyone else was doing.

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Toushirou muttered. "This treaty gives them all the advantages."

Rangiku glanced over his shoulder. Her captain had set the contents of the envelope the field martial gave them on a dining table. Rukia Kuchiki took the document from Toushirou and was reading it for herself. Rangiku had read the first few lines and gave up there. It was obvious to her that whoever wrote it just wanted to confuse and bore readers into accepting the terms without looking closely at them. It was a classic technique of unscrupulous bureaucrats and businessmen everywhere.

"Let's just bust in and get Ino'ue back," Ichigo argued. "They can't have that big a force backing them up they way they've been acting."

"We can't take that risk, idiot!" Rukia said. "We don't know what to expect."

"We can if we just talk to María," Ichigo countered. "She was with those guys, right?"

"The treat does say they'll be willing to negotiate if we turn Susana and the crystal back over to them," Rukia said, reading the document over.

"Unacceptable," snapped Toushirou. "If this 'heidushuijing' is as dangerous as Lieutenant Matsumoto explained to me then we're better off letting them keep Ino'ue." He shot a suspicious glance at María, who was sitting quietly by herself at the end of the table. "Besides, I'm not so sure _she'd_ be willing to help," he muttered.

Rangiku didn't like what she was hearing. "Captain, the only reason we know this much is because of María," she reminded sternly.

"Maybe so," he answered, "but she's been openly vocal about her anti-Soul Society, anti-shinigami feelings."

"Give her some time," Rangiku said. "When María sees you're not the evil fiend she was brought up to believe then she'll be a great friend."

"It should be easy for her to see that considering we're trying to set things right here."

Rangiku shook her head. "Oh Captain," she sighed.

"Why don't you go do something else right now, Matsumoto," Toushirou said, irritated. "I don't like it, but I think we're going to have to agree to these terms. At least it would buy us some reprieve."

"That's bullshit, Toushirou," Ichigo argued. "They're buying themselves the time! Now might be the best change to hit them!"

Rangiku pondered Ichigo's words. _If I could get María to help out then we really would have the advantage._

Toushirou glared at Ichigo. "I think you're letting your emotions get in the way of your reason, Kurosaki. I know Ino'ue's your friend, but we have other things to consider now."

Ichigo up with a disgusted grunt. "Fine then! I'll work on getting there myself! I'm not officially affiliated with you anyway, so I won't be breaking their precious treaty by smashing down their door and rescuing Ino'ue."

He stormed out, and Rangiku thought she heard him mutter something about Kisuke Urahara. Rangiku made a note of that, and decided to pay the eccentric man a visit of her own later.

* * *

Uryuu collapsed to the grass, tired but excited. "I can do this," he gasped. "I'm ready to fight again!"

"That you are," Hoshi said sagely. She blew a stream of smoke.

Uryuu turned his head to look at her. "If you don't mind me asking, can I hear about yourself?" he asked. "How'd you become an an'uuto?"

She chuckled softly. "I guess I can tell you everything now. No point in hiding stuff."

Hoshi sat down next to Uryuu. He turned his head again so he could see the black sky. The air felt cool on his skin. Everything seemed clearer now, sharper. It was like he had gotten a better pair of glasses. Was night always this beautiful and he never noticed before? Maybe it was just all that blinding light in the way before…

"It all started when I was fourteen," said she. "It was 1945. Japan had just surrendered and the war was finally over. Not that it mattered to a homeless girl who lost her entire family. I only cared about finding enough food to survive."

Uryuu gasped. "You're really that old?"

"Becoming an an'uuto does wonders for your lifespan. I may live a full thousand years," she said. "Anyway, one day everything changed for me. I saw some rich European woman traveling through. I don't know what she was doing there, but I just saw a chance to steal some valuables. I snatched a fancy pocket watch off her and ran away. She was a lot faster than I thought she'd be though and she caught me. A lot stronger too; she hauled me off to the place she was staying and took the watch back. I was sacred; there were stories going around about a blood-drinking demon because some blood-drained and mutilated corpses were discovered, a few being Allied soldiers. The speed and strength of the lady didn't seem normal, and I thought she might've been a monster."

"And then what?"

"She just gave me some food and let me leave," Hoshi replied. "Before that though she told me that she loved Oriental culture, and was very sad about the devastation suffered on all sides. Then I left, wondering what I'd do then. Then night came and I ran into the actual demon. It was a wolf-like an'uuto disguised as a human man. He was about to kill me when the European woman showed up and shed her own human disguise, revealing herself to be a fox-like an'uuto. She fought with the killer, overpowering him with her magic and finishing him off. I was really sacred then, but she told me not to worry. She disguised herself again and took me back to her place. Her name was Ougei Fuuran but she had taken the human name Françoise Auguste. She had fallen into this world about a hundred years before and had been passing herself as human since she couldn't find a way back to the World of Darkness. She had used her magic to make herself rich, but she lived far away from other humans, only leaving to visit other parts of the world when she got bored. Françoise was very lonely, and she asked if I would like to live with her in her mansion in Auseuil, France."

"And you said yes?" Uryuu asked.

"No; I turned her down and went back to a life of crushing homelessness and hunger," Hoshi said casually. She looked over at him with an incredulous look. "Of course I said yes! She had food and shelter! I didn't care if I had to live in a remote French village for the rest of my life."

"All right, all right," Uryuu said. "Please continue."

"So we went back to Auseuil. Françoise made me into an an'uuto there. Since no one else was there, we grew very close. She was like a best friend, big sister, and mom all in one to me. She taught me the basics of being in an'uuto. I turned out to have a real knack for sensing when other an'uuto were close. That's how I found you, by the way."

"I was wondering about that…"

"Yeah. So Françoise and I lived together and everything was hunky-dory. She was rich, so we got up to all sorts of cool shit. Then a bunch of stuff happened that I don't wanna talk about. I got a fortune, and I wanted to do something useful with it. So I bummed around the world, trying to find my place."

Uryuu was startled by the abrupt omission of the details. He wondered what might have happened during that period. Did something bad happen between her and Auguste? Did Auguste die? Uryuu decided tat either way it probably wasn't a good idea to press the subject.

"When I came back to Japan I found Chuukou Village. It was a haven for lost an'uuto, both refugees from the World of Darkness and humans who became an'uuto. It was just the place more an'uuto need to know about, but they didn't know how to reach more of them. So I had the mansion built here. I would track down lost an'uuto, bring them here temporarily and tell them about Chuukou Village, then get them over to the village if they liked the idea. I've also been donating money to Chuukou Village itself, having it expanded and modernized."

She smiled. "I've been doing this for fifty years now. I'm happy with my life. I feel I'm doing some good with it."

Uryuu nodded. "It's a noble cause." He turned to her. "Do you live in Chuukou Village or here?"

"Mostly in Chuukou Village, but I travel between here and there a lot."

"Well, thanks for telling me your story," said Uryuu. He got up and stretched. "Shall we train some more?"

"Why don't you rest a little inside, she answered. "I'm gonna just admire the night a bit longer."

He shrugged. "All right, but I'll be back later."

* * *

Rangiku was drinking some beer when she felt a tugging on her sleeve. "Hey Rangiku," said María. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Sure." María lead Rangiku away from the other shinigami. Rangiku wondered what their talk was going to be about.

María stopped and pulled the heidushuijing out from her robe. She looked at her with a concerned face. "Rangiku, can you _please_ just let me make an an'uuto? I have a bad feeling something terrible will happen soon, and I don't want to be apart of it! If we can just leave—"

Rangiku planted her hands firmly on María's shoulders. "I know you're sacred," she sighed, "but I can't just leave now. My captain needs me for…you know, stuff. It's my job!"

"Who cares? They all hate me anyway!"

"They don't hate you, María," Rangiku said evenly. "They—_we_—need your help." She smiled. "C'mon María; you know the bad guys better than any of us. We can beat them with your help."

"I don't wanna help Soul Society!" María snapped.

"María—"

The heipomian girl shrugged off Rangiku's hands and fixed her with an angry glare. "I _hate_ Soul Society. Just because I left Anyetuan doesn't mean I changed my mind about that! If those shinigami didn't think I was helpful they'd have killed me without a second thought."

Rangiku was loosing her patience with the ungrateful girl. "If that's how shinigami are then why didn't I kill you?" she asked as evenly as possible.

"You're better and kinder than them! I don't know why you stay with them."

"They're my friends too!" Rangiku yelled, unable to control her temper any more. "I'm not gonna let you talk badly like that about them, and I'm not gonna abandon them just so you can have me all to yourself!"

María's face turned livid with rage. She opened her mouth, but she didn't say anything. She just stood there, trembling and trying to say something, but nothing came out. They glared at each other silently. Rangiku left mildly sick from being so angry, but she couldn't forgive María, not until the girl backed down and apologized.

_Please, María! Say sorry and promise not to act up again! I don't wanna be mad at you…_

But María didn't apologize. She stomped past Rangiku and headed for the front door. "I'm going out," she spat contemptuously. "See ya."

Rangiku clenched her teeth at rude tone María used. "Fine!" she yelled back. "Don't come back till you grow up, you selfish little brat!"

If María heard her she didn't respond. She slammed the door behind her. Rangiku stared at the door, slowly trying to regain her composition but all she felt was a sickening heat of rage simmering in her belly.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto!" Rukia Kuchiki came running over. "You can't just let her leave! The enemy might be looking for her!"

"She can take care of herself," Rangiku muttered coldly.

Rukia gave an exasperated sigh. She moved to the door and flung it open forcefully. Without another word she went charging into the night after María.

Trembling, Rangiku turned away. The only thing she could think of that might cheer her up was getting shitfaced drunk. She went for the refrigerator.

* * *

"Sweet dreams, Orihime."

Orihime beamed. "Sweet dreams, Seia!"

The door closed, separating them. Seia's smile faded and she put her hand on the door. She looked at it with sad eyes and sighed. Was she really in love with the innocent little human? Seia wondered if it was it possible to truly fall in love with someone she knew for only a short time. It seemed shallow to her in a way. Perhaps it was just lust she was feeling, but Seia didn't think so. It felt like the love she had for Tara and Suzuko. She wanted to comfort and protect Orihime, hold her close and never let go.

_I'm being selfish,_ she thought. _I already have two wonderful lovers, and when this is all over we'll get married and have children and start a nice family._

The first time they had tried to start a family didn't get very far. But the next time everything would go smoothly. Seia was sure of it.

Seia turned to go to her own room, and was startled to find Tara and Suzuko standing right behind her. "Hello there, Seia," Tara said, her eyes glittering mischievously.

"Hello," Seia answered, trying to catch her breath. "You scared me! What are you doing here?"

Suzuko smiled broadly. "We just wanted to see what you were doing," she said innocently. She batted her large eyes at her cutely.

Seia looked from one woman to the other. They were planning something. "Okay, what's going on? Did you just want to spy on Orihime and me?"

"Suzuko and I have been talking," Tara said. "You seem a little distracted these days. You only want to spend time with Ino'ue now."

Seia blushed. "I—"

"You don't need to lie," Suzuko said. "Ino'ue _is_ really cute and pretty."

"But there are things we can do that she can't. Yet anyway," Tara said. She suddenly grabbed Seia's left sleeve. Suzuko grabbed the right.

"Hey! What're you doing?"

"Come with us, Seia!" Suzuko chimed. "You really need this!"

They dragged Seia to Tara's room. They flung Seia through the open door. She landed on the soft bed, and she looked up just in time to see Tara locking the door.

"Okay, I'm here," Seia said. "What is this?"

"You're a sex addict, Seia," Tara said simply. "It's a fact."

Seia's face flushed, partially from embarrassment at being reminded of her condition and partially because even the briefest mention of sex sometimes got her aroused. "What's your point?" she asked.

Suzuko nodded. "We're gonna treat you to the best sex you'll ever have for a long time!"

Tara grinned wickedly. "We won't be holding _anything_ back."

Seia gulped. Her crotch was already hot and yearning. Her lovers slipped behind her and joined her on the bed. Tara's hands firmly grasped her breasts, her long pale fingers kneading and squeezing. Suzuko's hands went for her crotch, softly rubbing and petting her most private of spots. Seia sighed and tilted her head back. She closed her eyes in resignation, letting the skilled hands move over her.

"It's been too long since we played with our _special_ toys," Tara whispered breathily into her ear, making gooseflesh rise up on her arms. So that was what they were doing. Seia could feel her "enhancements" getting ready to activate even as Tara whispered sweet nothings to her. Tara's hands made rhythmic motions on her full breasts and Seia felt heat building inside the fleshy orbs. Her nipples were rock-hard and she felt a subtle increase in size in her chest. Similarly, there was a heat building in the spot just above her tingling clitoris that Suzuko was lazily rubbing a finger around. Seia's breathing grew heavy.

"I feel it," she panted. She reached up and undid the top of her robe. The soft material slipped down to her lap, exposing her ebony breasts. Tara's hand went to the uncovered breasts and resumed their squeezing. The heat flowed into the fattened nipples. Seia gasped as her nipples stretched slightly bigger. Streams of milk squirted out, eliciting a happy cry from Seia's full lips.

"There we go!" Tara cooed. Some of the milk had gotten on her fingers, and she presented her hand to Seia. Seia's tongue darted out and licked the white fingers, lapping up the warm, thick milk. Her slit was burning with heat now, and the spot above it was ready too. Suzuko's fingers gave one more press, and Seia's felt her organ emerge. A bulge formed in her robe, small at first but it quickly increased in size, forming a surreal tent at her crotch. She could feel her organ pushing through her underwear and rubbing against the material of her robe even as it swelled bigger. She sensations coming from the sensitive tip were almost enough to bring her to climax.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Suzuko insisted. Seia obliged, slipped out of her robe and underwear entirely. Emerging from just above her clitoris was a long, thick penis. When she had gotten it she had requested for thirty centimeters, and it showed. Looking at it now, Seia wondered if perhaps thirty centimeters was too over-the-top, but all thoughts fled her mind when she felt Suzuko grasp her healthy pole. The girl was gazing at it with unabashed lust, groping at her own crotch with her free hand.

"Just a moment…_Ah!_" A similar bulge formed into Suzuko's robe as she franticly rubbed herself. Seia felt something hard poking her back too, and Tara sighed lustily.

"Right, let's get this started!" Tara said. Seia watched breathlessly as Suzuko hastily undressed, her own large penis bouncing as she freed it. Suzuko and Tara moved to where Seia could see them both clearly. Their erect penises jutted lewdly from their crotches. They had opted for slightly smaller sizes, twenty-five centimeters for both. Since both women were shorter than Seia though their penises appeared larger by comparison.

"What are we gonna do first?" Suzuko asked, idly playing with her erection.

Seia gazed hungrily at them, her own penis hard and throbbing, milk still leaking from her breasts. She smiled coyly at Suzuko. "I'd like to start with a nice kiss from you, Suzuko," she requested. She thought it was best to start slowly, even if her loins screamed for rough, immediate sex.

Suzuko stepped up to her, and Seia, shaking with desire, embraced the younger woman. She brought her lips to Suzuko's mouth, initiating a heavy kiss. Their hot penises bumped together. Their tongues flashed into each other's mouths, Seia sliding hers over Suzuko's smooth white teeth. Her hand moved to Suzuko's hard shaft and stroked it lightly.

Seia felt hands exploring her huge bust. She looked to see Tara cupping her breasts. The Anyetuan leader squeezed the breasts tightly, forcing milk from them. Tara licked one nipple, but instead of continuing she moved down between Seia's legs. Seia parted her legs to give Tara better access, and Tara went down to Seia's dripping slit. She groaned as Tara lavished hot licks to her slit and clitoris.

Suzuko broke off the kiss and lowered herself to Tara's level. She eyed Seia's erect member, watching as the tip oozed pearlescent drops of milk. "I'll have some too," she said, and engulfed the length with her mouth.

Seia groaned loudly. There were tears in her eyes, it felt so good! She watched as Suzuko took more of her raging erection in her soft, warm mouth. Suzuko looked so cute with her mouth so stuffed with penis. The younger woman looked back up at her with wide, excited eyes. An electric jolt ran through her body as Tara began to probe her burning wet slit. Seia couldn't see her with Suzuko in the way, but she could certainly feel the effects of Tara's tongue work.

"Yes, that feels so good!" Seia cried. An exquisite orgasm was building. Two orgasms to be precise with both her sexes being pleasured. It was almost too much to bear. She reached down and forced Tara's head to stay close to her vagina. Tara began to lavish hot kisses to Seia's clitoris. Seia's hips bucked uncontrollably as her climax coursed through her glistening body.

Suzuko's cheeks bulged out comically as Seia ejaculated into her mouth. Thick milk dribbled from Suzuko's lips as she worked to swallow as copious flood. Seia cried as her body quaked violently. Her swollen breasts jiggled, spraying alabaster streams of milk all over Suzuko and Tara. In her climax, Seia fell backwards into the bed, panting happily. Suzuko released her penis, which released another white salvo directly onto Suzuko's face. The girl laughed jubilantly as she got a face-full of cream. At the same time, Seia's vagina felt like it was on fire. Her orgasm burned hotly in her core, fluids dripping freely.

Seia lay back, resting slightly to regain her strength. She wasn't satisfied though, and waited to see what would happen next. She didn't have to wait for long; both lovers crept up next to her and kissed her cheeks.

"Hey," Seia panted.

"I just love your big milky boobs!" Suzuko sighed. She moved down to her large breasts and put her soft lips onto the fat nipple. She began to suckle gently, like a newborn. Seia groaned at the lovely sensation. Tara joined in too, sucking at the other nipple.

Seia looked down at Suzuko. The girl's eyes were closed as she greedily drank her breast milk. Her heart bloomed with love, reminding Seia of how much she wanted children. Suzuko looked so sweet and childlike.

"It's nice you want to pleasure me," Seia gasped, "but let me pleasure you back!"

Suzuko backed off the dripping nipple and looked at Seia. "I want you in me then!"

Tara too broke off. "Yes, I always love seeing that!"

Suzuko and Seia switched position on the bed and Tara scooted out of the way. Suzuko leaned back, spreading her legs wide. Seia got on her knees and gripped her erection. She slowly eased her shaft into Suzuko's slit. Suzuko's cute moans were music to her ears. Soon she was in as far as she could. With that, Seia began pulsing her rod in and out of her lover. She could feel Suzuko's own penis bumping into her firm stomach. Her breasts, swollen with arousal, were leaking milk again.

"That's marvelous you two," Tara groaned. She was fisting her erection slowly as she watched Seia's intercourse with Suzuko. "I love seeing you like this!"

Seia watched as fat drops of milk dribbled from Tara's penis. She licked her lips at the thought of tasting it. She couldn't wait for later. "Come here Tara!" she urged.

Tara obediently moved over. Seia opened her mouth wide and took the thick shaft into her mouth. As she continued thrusting into Suzuko, she sucked and licked at the hot organ. She could taste Tara's warm milk leaking from the smooth tip. Tara placed her hands on Seia's head. "Oh yes, my dear pets!" Tara cried. "You're so good!"

"I'm stuffed so full!" Suzuko moaned. "I'm almost there!"

Tara pulled her penis from Seia's mouth. "Just work on Suzuko," she panted, stroking herself again. "It'll be my turn next."

Seia focused on Suzuko then, feeling her own impending orgasm stirring in her genitals. It amazed her how insatiable their enhancements were; they were able to recover from orgasms in record time. Her eyes went wide, her orgasm being hasted along by Tara's fingers entering her slit. She suddenly erupted into Suzuko, breasts spraying milk high into the air. Suzuko cried out, quivering on the end of the thick member.

Tara grinned and removed her hand from Seia. She switched to Suzuko and grasped her throbbing penis with her free hand, and stroked herself and Suzuko forcefully. With another cry Suzuko's spewed a thick load of her own creamy milk over Seia. Seia opened her mouth wide to catch as much of the warm, sticky fluid Suzuko was pumping out. She had just stopped ejaculating herself when she heard another cry. She looked over in time to see Tara's orgasm begin. Thick, ropy streams of milk came flying from her twitching erection, coating Suzuko's stomach and thighs in white pools.

"Oh yes, lovers!" Tara panted. When she finished after a time, she took a step back, catching her breath. Suzuko smiled at Seia and crawled over to her. She began lapping her thick ejaculate from Seia's beautiful dark face.

"Yummy!" Suzuko squealed. She began to suckle at Seia's breast again.

Seia looked over to Tara and smiled. "So what did you have in mind?" she asked.

Tara grinned. "Move aside Suzuko." As Suzuko moved aside, Tara replaced her, straddling her lover's thighs with her own. She pushed her hot shaft into Seia's dripping slit. Seia breathed sharply at the contact. She was penetrated in short order, Tara thrusting into her with mechanical rhythm. She raised herself up slightly and wiggled her backside.

"Suzuko, if you'd be so kind…"

The happy girl immediately got behind Tara. Seia watched as Tara lowered herself onto Suzuko's shaft, bouncing up and down on it. Tara moved in time with Suzuko's thrusts, the three of them all connected as one now. Seia's penis rubbed into Tara's stomach. She had begun to lactate again, and Tara started sucking at her breasts.

Their movements sped up, becoming more rough. Tara's length slammed hard into Seia. Each rough thrust brought Seia close to screaming. She reveled in the harsh treatment from Tara. A great wet warmth exploded inside her, and Tara's sank her fangs into her breast. Seia screamed, and other orgasm triggered. She ejaculated all over Tara, covering her full pale bosom with hot milk. She was vaguely aware of Suzuko screaming too.

_We're all coming together,_ she thought distantly.

When it finally ended all three collapsed in a sticky pile. Seia panted, exhausted but happy. She was flat on her back, Tara and Suzuko had fallen in the opposite direction, Tara lying atop Suzuko. "I don't think I can walk for a few days," she joked. "Thanks a lot, guys."

"Our pleasure," Suzuko gurgled.

"If the squad I sent to look for María find her and the heidushuijing find them then the next time will be even better!" Tara laughed.

"I can't wait!" Suzuko squealed.

* * *

María hated that the shinigami was following her. "Get away from me," she growled.

"I can't leave your side," the short shinigami female said. "It's dangerous being by yourself. The Anyetuan might be looking for you."

"I don't _want _your help!" María snapped. "I'm just a tool to you anyway. If I weren't useful to you you'd be trying to kill me right now."

"I slay hollows that threaten humans, not because I like killing."

María didn't answer. She felt a change in the air. Something was coming…

A pair of figures appeared up ahead. María could see very clearly though the darkness of night, and to her horror saw it was Estrella Mort and Vale Lord.

"Well, well, well," Vale sneered. "Not only do we find the little traitor but we find the little shinigami I humiliated earlier!"

María trembled, avoiding Estrella's gaze. "Stay back!" she hissed, drawing the crystal from her robe. "I can obliterate you both with the heidushuijing!"

"María," the young male heipomian said, "why did you do it? Why did it come to this?" His words were twisted with grief.

The shinigami leapt in front of María! "Not another step closer!" she barked, drawing her zanpakutou.

Vale and Estrella drew their own zanpakutou. "Please, girl," Vale jeered, "you're not going to fight us. If you strike us the treaty will be worthless. But that traitor isn't under your jurisdiction so we'll just be taking her off your hands…"

The shinigami swung her zanpakutou forward. "_Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!_" María watched in amazement as the sword turned completely white and a white ribbon appeared at the pommel. "I'm prepared to defend this person with my life!" she declared.

María couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Is she really taking me that seriously?_ "No you idiot!" she yelled. "I can do this! I've got the crystal!"

A black projectile sped through the air, and slammed into María's hand. She cried out, the black crystal flying from her injured hand.

"Not any more you don't," Estrella said darkly. "Move for it and you die."

María clenched her teeth and nursed her hand. Estrella had always been a good shot with the heipodan technique. If he hit her with a heiposhan attack it would severely injure her at best. At worst she would die instantly.

Vale made to walk past the shinigami. "Now step aside and let us take her away. Estrella, you take the crystal."

The shingiami struck with her transformed blade, Sode no Shirayuki. The blade was right at Vale's neck. A little closer and she'd be cutting him. "Back off!" the girl ordered.

"So you break the treaty before the night is even over," Vale said. He suddenly whipped his own zanpakutou around and clashed against the beautiful white sword, pushing it aside.

"_Some no Mai: Tsukishiro!_" A white circle formed around the shinigami, and suddenly Vale was encased in ice. María didn't care though; when she saw Estrella distracted by the shinigami's technique she made a dive for the crystal. It was laying in the road behind her. Her fingers closed around it, and she felt it's power rush into her. "Yes!" she cheered.

She spoke too soon though. She glanced over in time to see Estrella swinging his zanpakutou down at her in a vertical chop. There was no time to react. She was done for.

_Rangiku—_

There was a dull wet sound as cold metal sliced into flesh. But it wasn't María's. The shinigami had blocked the slice with her shoulder. Warm blood spurted from the vicious wound. María's eyes widened.

"Why?" she asked quietly. "Why would you do this for me?"

"I have to keep you and the crystal safe," the shinigami wheezed through her pain. "No matter how you feel about me, I'll protect you." She smiled weakly.

María took a step back. She slowly reached for Fenmuji. _She really cares that much about me? _

The ice shattered and Vale stepped out. "How annoying," he said, shaking ice from his clothes. "We'll kill you and then María. So much for the treaty."

"The treaty isn't broken," the shinigami said.

"Estrella looked at her in the eye. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm a shinigami, but I wasn't sent to protect María by Soul Society!" she clarified. "I was acting on my own volition!"

Estrella and Vale looked at each other. "What now?" Estrella asked.

María looked behind her. She saw some other figures running toward them. By their clothes they were other shinigami.

"Let's get out of here," Vale said. "We'll keep this girl for now though."

With a grinding roar, reality tore open behind them. Vale and Estrella leapt backwards into the swirling abyss, the shinigami still in tow. The rift closed before her, Estrella casting her a final accusing glance.

"_Rukia!_" a male voice yelled. "_Rukia!_"

María sagged to her knees, the evil crystal in her uninjured hand. The shinigami gathered around her, but she didn't hear them. _She saved my life, and I did nothing in return…_

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

**Ougei Fuuran**

Ougei Fuuran (夫蘭奧居 (フウランオウゲイ) _Fuuran Ougei_) A.K.A. Françoise Auguste (フランソワーズ・オーギュスト _Furansowaazu Ougyusuto_)

Height: ?

Weight: ?

Hair color: ?

Eye color: ?

Appearance: ?

Attire: ?

Personality: ?

**Dark Energy**

Dark energy (暗能量 (あんのうりょう) _An'nouryou_) is the substance of an'uuto souls and the source of an'uuto magic.

**Dark arts  
**

Dark arts (暗術 (あんじゅつ) _Anjutsu_) is the generic word for the supernatural abilities an'uuto can perform with dark energy.

* * *

_Author's note: I would like to say here that I am sorry for the long absence. A combination of other commitments and severe computer problem kept me from working on this very much. I hope the effort I put into this chapter makes up for everything._

_I also need to say that the story will in fact be finishing soon. There are only a few chapters left. I have only a few ideas left, so the only thing to do is plan for the ending. Expect the next chapter soon, on the anniversary of when I first posted the story. _

_I have rewritten some parts of the story. In chapter 4, Tara, Seia, and Suzuko, are stated to have left three hundred years prior the beginning of _Bleach_ rather than whenever it was Yamamoto was a young man. In chapter 7, Yamamoto now no longer mentions being present at the investigation of Tara. In chapter 10, Ayasegawa's fight is extended, providing a more accurate description of how Ruri'iro Kujaku is released. In chapter 11 the part where Ichigo has to have Hueco Mundo explained to him has been deleted as the story takes place shortly after the Bount filler arc and in that Ichigo had Hueco Mundo mentioned briefly to him. _

_If you are wondering why Orihime thinks Rubihatsu's name is appropriate, it is because his name contains the kanji _法_, meaning "lawful"._


	17. Use Your Illusion II

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

_Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**17. ****ユーズ・ユア・イリュージョン****II**

**17. Use Your Illusion II**

Small waves splashed gently against the pearly white sand and the sun's rays were reflected dazzlingly on the shimmering blue water. A nice breeze blew by, causing Orihime the mermaid princess's long orange hair to flutter, and a refreshing spray from the water kept her shimmering emerald-scaled tail pleasingly moist. She thought it was such a beautiful day that she came up on the little island paradise's beach to bask in the sun and sing lovely mermaid songs. The war with the Killer Robots from the Horsehead Nebula was pretty terrible and noisy, so Orihime liked to get away from it all by visiting her island. Everything seemed so peaceful and perfect…

_No, not perfect,_ she thought. _It's awfully lonely here. A friend to talk to would be nice._

"Hey Orihime!" came a wonderfully familiar voice. Orihime turned to find Princess Tatsuki sitting next to her, as though some djinn had heard Orihime's wish and magically whisked Tatsuki to her side. She loved especially lovely with the large sapphire necklace around her throat, matching the soft pink scales of her tail and the seashell garments that preserved her modesty.

"Why hello Princess Tatsuki," Orihime greeted. "What a pleasant surprise to meet you here."

"I came here to work on my tan," said Tatsuki. She moved next to Orihime and flipped over on to her stomach. She folded her arms in front of her and rested her head on her arms.

A woman with legs stepped into Orihime's view. She looked up to find Seia Kazama in a revealing white bikini and large black mirrored sunglasses. She was holding a tube of suntan lotion in one hand. Seeing her too made Orihime even happier. She smiled and waved at her. "Hi Seia!"

Seia smiled warmly back. "Hello Orihime. It's a nice day, isn't it?"

Orihime was about to reply affirmatively when something troubling occurred to her: Seia was an an'uuto. She never saw one in broad daylight before. Her smile faded. "Seia, I thought sunlight hurt you," she said. "What are you doing out here?"

Seia's smile didn't waver. "Orihime, I thought you weren't a mermaid princess."

Orihime frowned and looked down at herself. Her mermaid tail splashed lightly in the water. She was wearing a pink pearl necklace and a brassiere made from pale blue seashells. Then it all came back to her: She wasn't Princess Orihime; she was Orihime Ino'ue, a high school student in Karakura Town. "Oh, that's right," she said. "This must just be another dream."

"You're correct," said Seia. "This is all a dream."

Orihime sighed. She should have known it was too good to be true.

"Hey Seia," Tatsuki said, "can you please put some of that lotion on me?"

"Of course." Seia knelt beside Tatsuki and squirted a load of cream into her hands. She began to slowly, sensually rub the slimy stuff onto Tatsuki's back. Tatsuki's face beamed with pleasure.

"Oh yeah!" she groaned. "That feels so good…"

Seia smiled sexily. "I always love to please beautiful girls such as yourself, Tatsuki."

Orihime watched them, a slight sense of sad jealously slowly growing in her. _I'm beautiful too, aren't I Seia?_

"I love you Seia," said Tatsuki. "Let's do this everyday!"

Seia nodded. "I'd love to, Tatsuki."

Orihime felt ignored. It was a sad feeling, especially from Tatsuki and Seia. "Seia," she said shyly, "can—can I have some lotion too?"

Seia flashed her that sexy smile of hers. She was wearing a white lipstick, which really stood out against her ebony skin. It looked especially alluring. "All right, it's your turn now Orihime." Her heartbeats sped up when she heard that.

"You're really gonna love this," Tatsuki said with a wink as Seia moved over to Orihime, who flipped herself onto her stomach like Tatsuki did. The woman gathered lotion in her hands again and Orihime felt Seia bring her fingers to her back. She shivered under Seia's delicate yet somehow firm touch. Her every nerve felt almost electrified, a wonderful pulse shooting through her everywhere Seia's fingers fell.

"You're…really good at this, Seia…" Orihime sighed. Had she ever felt anything so good before? She couldn't recall. She wanted it to go on forever and ever…

* * *

…So of course, that's when she woke up.

Orihime blinked in the darkness, annoyed that the dream had ended so abruptly, and just when it was getting interesting. Again, though, it had been a weird dream with Seia featuring prominently. Orihime couldn't deny that she had distinctly felt jealousy toward Tatsuki when Seia was lavishing her with attention, and when Seia finally did switch to her she had been very excited. She had wanted the woman to touch her intimately—she just couldn't put it any other way. Seia's touch had been wonderful, and Orihime still tingled just trying to recall it. Would the real Seia's touch be just as good?

Orihime turned over, catching sight of the mirror in her room. She could only see a faint reflection in the glass, obscuring her completely. It was an apt picture; she wasn't sure she knew herself as well as she thought. Did anyone really? Orihime was sure she was heterosexual, but why would she be dreaming of Seia like that? She doubted it was just because Seia was an open lesbian. Orihime would be willing to believe that fact may have inspired the first dream a little, but the second dream had her _desiring_ Seia.

Did she really have feelings for the older woman? Orihime thought Seia was a good friend—certainly the friendliest person in the entire Anyetuan—and she was very beautiful. One of the most beautiful women Orihime had ever seen actually. But have feelings for the woman? She just didn't know what to think.

Orihime turned over and tried to get back to sleep, but when she closed her eyes all she could see was Seia's bewitching smile.

* * *

"…and that's what happened."

María felt the eyes of every shinigami in the room on her. She kept her head down, not wanting to look at any of them. The blond boy's story wasn't going to generate any good feelings toward her; she had just stood by and let the small shinigami girl, Rukia, get injured in her place and spirited away by the Anyetuan.

María's inner thoughts were in turmoil. She had been raised to think the shinigami were evil. They hunted down and killed hollows like her regularly, even though the hollows needed to survive too. But then she met Rangiku, who protected her from harm. María thought her new friend was just an aberration among shinigami, and hoped to make Rangiku realize the truth about shinigami. And then there was that Rukia girl. María figured the girl only saw protecting her as a dirty job, but Rukia had been completely fearless and unhesitating in coming to her aid. Had both of them been aberrations? María had trouble believing that, but it was even more troubling to consider that perhaps she had been wrong about shinigami.

As it was though, they weren't likely to consider perhaps they had been wrong about her.

"It says much about Kuchiki's bravery and valor that she would do all she could," Captain Hitsugaya said. He turned to María, his expression dark. "Not that it means anything to you, does it?"

María said nothing.

"We lose a valuable agent and the treaty is broken before it even really began, meaning Ino'ue will be taken away because Kuchiki attacked first. All of this because you couldn't stand to be around the shinigami you hate so much and put yourself in danger. Even though Lieutenant Matsumoto went out of her way to protect you, taking an immense risk in the process, you haven't shown any gratitude because we're all just heartless killers who hunt the poor, innocent hollows for sport," he continued in a viciously biting tone.

"Stop it, Toushirou," the blond boy cut in sternly.

María numbly walked away and headed to Rangiku's room. She knocked quietly on the door.

"_Who's there?_" Rangiku asked. Her voice sounded bitter. María cringed at the tone.

"It's me, María."

There was a pause, then the door swung open. Rangiku stood there in her gigai, her clothes and hair disheveled. She hadn't bothered to button up her shirt, leaving it to hang open lewdly. Only her bra provided any sense of modesty to her current appearance. "Oh. Hi María," Rangiku said coldly. Her manner hurt María more than if Rangiku had simply punched her in the face right then and there (which probably wouldn't have hurt María all that much anyway; her "heigangpi" made her skin very strong and resistant to pain).

María struggled not to cry, but she felt hot tears slide down her cheeks. "Rangiku, I—I'm so sorry!" she blurted out. "Please don't be mad at me! I'll be good, I promise! I—I—"

She couldn't continue. She just bawled and grabbed Rangiku tightly, pressing her face her Rangiku's chest. Rangiku's body felt tense, but she relaxed and her arms gently embraced María.

"There, there María," she said softly. "I just wanted to hear you say sorry. I'm sorry too for yelling at you. But you really hurt my feelings when you say bad things about shinigami. No matter how you feel, I am and always will be a shinigami so you can't say we're all evil."

"I won't! I swear!" María sobbed, but this time her tears were born from happiness. She was so relieved Rangiku forgave her, but Rangiku's words reminded her of the unfortunate shinigami girl. Her relief turned to regret.

"Rangiku, this shinigami, Rukia, followed me earlier. We ran into some of Anyetuan looking for me, these guys I used to know, and they were gonna take me with them! They said Rukia couldn't do anything because of the treaty, but Rukia defended me anyway! That blond guy showed up and the Anyetuan left, but they took Rukia with them…"

She looked up to see Rangiku's expression. The older woman now looked very worried. "They have Rukia too now?" she asked.

María's eyes teared up again. "It's my fault they have her! She protected me and I didn't help at all! I have to make it up to her now! We need to rescue her and that human girl!"

Rangiku nodded solemnly. "I agree. We need to do something fast. I'll be hard for me to do anything with my captain overseeing things, but Ichigo—the blond guy from earlier—will wanna help too, and so will his friends. You can count on those guys!"

"Your captain won't let you help?" María asked.

"I doubt it," Rangiku sad sadly. "Even if he was ready to lead an rescue mission himself he still needs confirmation and authorization from Soul Society. He'll also need to know if the treaty is officially recognized as broken before doing anything. It's gonna be a long time before we're able to do anything."

María was dismayed by the news. "It's gonna be really dangerous," she urgently stated. "I'll need all the help I can get!"

"And I'll help you any way I can," Rangiku answered. "For now my hands are tied though. Find Ichigo and there others and they'll help out. Oh! And Kisuke Urahara—that guy in the hand from the other day. Go talk to him sometime. He's sure to be able to help you."

María nodded sternly, making note of all the names. "Thank you, Rangiku. I'll be sure to repay you somehow."

The older woman flashed her a suggestive smile. "I can think of a few ways you can do that…"

María blushed, but smiled back. "Oh, right, of course."

Rangiku gave her a little nudge. "Why don't you go tell my captain that you're gonna cooperate and that you wanna help out now. That should improve his mood."

"Okay," María said. She and Rangiku walked out to the dinning room where Captain Hitsugaya was working. María was nervous; Hitsugaya made her uneasy, mostly because he could likely kill her with a single swipe of his zanpakutou, and were it not for Rangiku to explain things he probably would have.

"Captain Hitsugaya?" she said timidly.

"Yes?" he responded in a flat tone.

María took a deep breath. "I'm very sorry for the trouble I caused everyone. I'm gonna cooperate from now on, and I wanna make up for getting that Rukia girl in trouble." She felt Rangiku squeeze her hand encouragingly.

He stopped working and turned around to look at her square in the eye. "Really, you mean that?" he asked. His face was blank.

María nodded. "Yeah, I mean it."

The other lower-ranking shinigami entered the room. They looked surprised but also happy, and were staring and whispering. _Are they glad to see me?_ María wondered. _So I was wrong about them and they really are glad to see me?_

Hitsugaya looked over at Rangiku. "Matsumoto, _please_ do something about your shirt," he said.

"Oh! Sorry Captain!" She hastily buttoned her shirt up. The faces of the other shinigami fell and they grumbled to themselves. María had forgotten that Rangiku was so disheveled. She scowled a little as she watched them leave.

"I was kinda hoping they were glad to see me," she muttered.

Rangiku patted her shoulder. "I'm sure they'll be glad to get to know you better."

* * *

Rukia was silent as she was marched through the dark halls of the fortress. A pair of handcuffs were securely fastened around her wrists. Sode no Shirayuki and her clothes had been taken away, replaced by a thin white robe and some paltry undergarments. The two heipomian walked ahead of her while a pair of armed soldiers escorted her along. They evidently didn't speak any language she understood; they had just tossed her some new clothes without a word and made her sleep in a cell for a while. She had no idea how long it had been since was abducted. They didn't bother giving her any instructions.

Eventually they came to a door. The older heipomian opened it and Rukia was pushed on through. She found herself in a small room bare of any furniture save for a metal desk and some chairs. Waiting there was a pale woman with long black hair. She smiled cruelly at Rukia.

"Please take a seat," the woman said.

A soldier pulled a chair out for Rukia. Wordless, she sat down, giving the woman a glare.

"You're Tara Niou, right?" Rukia asked.

The woman nodded her head slightly. "Correct. And you are?"

"Rukia Kuchiki, of the 13th Division," she answered curtly. There wasn't much point in lying about that.

Niou leaned forward and looked into Rukia's eyes. "So you claim you haven't violated the treaty by attacking?"

Rukia smiled sardonically. "That's right. The treaty said Soul Society would not give any orders to attack agents of Anyetuan. I defended María Susana from Anyetuan agents, but not because I was ordered to by Soul Society. I was only doing what I felt was right."

Niou nodded. "That is fair, I think. I will accept that."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. She found it extremely hard to swallow that Niou would just accept her explanation like that. _Captain Hitsugaya must be correct,_ she thought. _This is all just to stall us for time. But why? What does Niou hope to accomplish with this scheme?_

"I'll have your comrades know that you won't admit to breaking the treaty," Niou said. "We'll be keeping you here for now though. You will be very useful to us."

Rukia didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're absolutely right; you technically didn't brake the treaty," Niou continued. "So you say, anyway. But if you were to confess that you lied and Soul Society really did order you to attack, then the treaty would be rendered null and void. But we can't have that just yet; there is still more preparation."

"And you're going to try to torture me into saying your lies," Rukia guessed. She forced a smirk even though she dreaded the prospect. She was sure she could take three days without giving in, but it still sounded horrible.

Niou chuckled. "I have something different in mind," she said. "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to torture Ino'ue to make you say what I want either—that would be unacceptable to do to a guest."

Niou stood up and slowly moved over to Rukia's side. She thrust her face close to Rukia's, so close that Rukia could see the small sharp fangs in Niou's mouth. "No; this will be very different. Much worse than any torture you're thinking of now.

Niou backed away and said something in a language Rukia couldn't understand. It sounded like an order though. Something slammed into the back of Rukia's skull. Everything went black.

* * *

The warm sun woke Rukia up. Her eyes fluttered open. The sky was blue and dotted with clouds, the sunlight warm on her face. She could hear birds singing in the distance.

_Where am I?_ She blinked and glanced around. The sights, the sounds; it was clear where she was but she couldn't believe it. _This is—_

"Rukia!"

Rukia's heart stopped at the voice from behind her. She would know that voice anywhere. A voice that brought her happiness and strength.

A voice that belongs to someone who died.

She slowly stood up and turned around, and there he was. Tall and spiky-haired, it was Kaien Shiba, lieutenant of the 13th Division. But he was different now. His face was drawn tight with smoldering anger, his stare accusing. Rukia wanted to look away but she was transfixed.

"_Ah!_" she squeaked.

"_Ah!_" mimicked bitterly. "It's always '_ah!_' with you, Rukia. Can't you come up with anything better to say to me?"

"Sir Kaien, I—it's good to see you, sir!" She fumbled for the right words. She still couldn't totally process what she was seeing before her. It was impossible, but…

_What's going on here?_

"Why didn't you help me?" he demanded.

"What?" Rukia asked, even though she knew exactly what he meant. He stomach was twisting itself into queasy knots.

"Against that hollow!" he yelled. "It killed members of my division! It killed my wife!_ Then it killed me!_"

His lips drew back in a vicious snarl, his eyes bulging with rage. It looked like any second he would run forward and skewer her with Nejibana. Rukia was on the verge of tears.

"Captain Ukitake—He said your pride—You were fighting for your pride!"

"_Fuck pride!_" be thundered. Rukia was so startled her legs collapsed beneath her. She fell on her backside hard. Rukia could only gaze impotently up at Kaien's enraged face as he towered over her.

"You let me down," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, which sacred Rukia even more. "I'd never let you down, but you let me down."

Rukia could no longer hold back her tears. "_I'm sorry, Sir Kaien!_" she sobbed.

"That thing ate me alive from the inside-out!" he said. Tears began to leak from his eyes, but they weren't normal tears. They were dark and red. _Blood._

"Do you know what that feels like?" His voice had turned to a pleading whisper. Blood was now running from his mouth too. Rukia couldn't stand it.

"_Forgive me, please!_" Rukia begged. She planted her hands on the grass and bowed her head.

"It hurts…It hurts…" His voice sounded…_mushy_. That was the only word Rukia could think of to describe it. She didn't want to look up, but her eyes were drawn up to Kaien. He had gone rotten, his skin gray and pealing. Sores had opened up all over his, and thick, blackish blood oozed from every orifice.

"_Ru…ki…a…_"

It was when he imploded in a rain of decayed viscera upon her that Rukia finally screamed.

* * *

Rukia Kuchiki jerked and writhed on the cold floor, her eyes wide and staring up at something only she could see. Estrella watched in a mixture of disgust and unease. He had no idea what the pitiful shinigami was seeing, but having gone through the experience himself once before he knew Niou had dredged up her worst memories and fears.

Estrella had a crush on María since the moment he saw her shortly after she had been sworn into Anyetuan, but it didn't take him long to see she wasn't sexually interested in the opposite gender. Frustrated by his inability to be anything more than a friend to María, he had lashed out at Suzuko Nouhara when she happened upon him when he was in a very foul mood, giving her a shallow wound to her shoulder. Tara Niou had subdued him in very short order, but that wasn't enough for her. The shinigami was an ordained Dream Weaver, a cleric for Rireishi, the an'uuto queen of dreams. One of the most basic powers taught to Dream Weavers was the ability to take total control of dreams. Especially talented Dream Weavers could make those dreams indistinguishable from reality, and Niou had that talent. She put him to sleep and forced him to vividly dream of his life as a human. He used to be a teenager named Yuuji Oozora. He had been a very slight boy, and was bullied mercilessly. His only comfort came from his only friend, a girl named Ayame Akagi. Three years after they meet though her family moved away to Sapporo, leaving him alone. With no one to comfort him, Yuuji snapped and took his vengeance against three bullies through poison, drowning, and a hammer. Afraid of the murders being traced back to him, Yuuji slit his own throat and thought that would be the end of it.

It wasn't, of course. Yuuji wandered around as a plus, unable to pass on through his guilt and loneliness. He saw the sadness of the families of the bullies and regretted everything he did. It wasn't long before hollows attacked him, and he became one himself. As Estrella Mort the hollow, he avoided harming people and ghosts as much as possible, but what he feared most of all was the shinigami and their zanpakutou. He knew he wouldn't be purified if they caught him, but rather he would be sent to Hell for his crimes when alive. Estrella fled the Transitory World to avoid such a fate and came to Hueco Mundo, feeding on other hollows until he became an adjucas. Around then was the time he encountered Tara Niou and Anyetuan. He became a hepomian and rose to the Huangyishen rank.

Niou had replayed all of the moments Estrella regretted the most and gave him visions of being sent to Hell. After that he obeyed whatever his superiors told him to out of fear. He had no real loyalty to Niou outside of the fear he had for her. What pained him the most was how similar María was to Ayame. Now even she was gone, and he was required to kill her on sight.

He squirmed uncomfortably watching Kuchiki's torment. Niou was looking down at her, a look of grim satisfaction on her face. Vale was smirking. What the Remuranian soldiers thought of it was impossible to tell with their terrible masks. One of them had unhesitatingly slammed the butt of his or her rifle into the back of Kuchiki's head, so he figured they were at least indifferent to her suffering.

_Don't feel pity,_ he told himself. _If she encountered you she would've sent you to Hell._

He still couldn't shake the ill feeling he had though.

* * *

Resu lounged around in his cell, reading a novel about a secret society called the "Golden Night Order". It was quite a good series, and he always looked forward to reading more about the adventures of the Golden Night Order members.

He rubbed his arms through his thick coat. A presence had entered the cell, one that he would recognize anywhere. Something very important was going to happen if he was getting a visit from that man.

"Father," Resu said quietly, "what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"_Resu,_" came Rubihatsu's voice. He sounded hard and authoritative, as he usually did. "_It won't be long before I have Lady Niou release you. There is much for you to do for Anyetuan. Your power will be needed again soon._"

Resu smiled and set the book aside. "I thought as much," he said. His smile became a troubled frown. "But what about how I tried to play with the 'spark'? Lady Kazama will be displeased if I go free."

"_When you return to Remuran you will admit your offenses and submit to a rehabilitation program,_" Rubihatsu answered. "_It will work out well for both of us. You will generate sympathy for yourself by confessing you have a problem, and I will stir publicity by bringing more attention and funding to the rehabilitation programs. And when you leave the program the incident shall be forgotten, and you may do as you wish. I will be supervising your…'games' more closely though._"

Resu sighed. Rehabilitation would take years, even decades. It seems like a lot of effort to go through just to get him out of the situation. And after that his playtime would be watched over. He liked to play alone and unseen. It didn't feel right to play with a girl when someone was watching him do it. Some people got off on that, but not him. His own father too! That just made Resu uncomfortable. "I understand, father."

"_But know this:_" Rubihatsu said coldly, "_if you are caught a second time the public will not be so forgiving and it would make me look bad. In that event, I will have you imprisoned and executed like a common criminal. I will earn the sympathy for delivering my own son to justice, and I will look uncompromising on crime. You though, you'll eventually be forgotten after you die._"

Resu swallowed nervously. "I see," he answered. "I will be careful. I will be so very careful from now on."

"_See to it you are,_" Rubihatsu replied in a steely tone. "_But that's not important now. What's important is Orihime Ino'ue and the artifact. Ino'ue is of more concern to us right now; we can withdraw without the artifact and it will still be here when we return for it, but Ino'ue will not be here forever. We will secure her first._"

"We will claim her and the artifact!" Resu stated. "I'll find the artifact for you! I'll make you proud!"

"_We shall see,_" Rubihatsu said. "_I'll burn all of Soul Society to ash if it that's what it will take to find it._"

Resu smiled. He looked forward to that very much.

* * *

As per Rangiku's suggestion, María left to see that man Kisuke Urahara at his shop. It was unpleasant, but she left during the morning. Rangiku, Ishida, and Hoshi accompanied her, shielding her from the harsh sunlight with a parasol Hoshi let her borrow. Rangiku had called Kurosaki and Sado before hand.

"Here we are!" Rangiku said. María remembered the place from before. She wasn't sure how Urahara was going to help, but she trusted Rangiku's judgment. Waiting outside were Kurosaki and Sado.

"Great! Let's get out of this light."

Kurosaki waved to them. "Hey Rangiku, María."

"Hey guys!" Rangiku responded cheerily. "Say 'hi' María!"

"Hello," María said shyly.

"Mr. Urahara's waiting for you," Sado said.

They all entered the building. Inside were Urahara, a tall dark-skinned man with glasses and a moustache, and a black cat. "Ah, so you made it!" Urahara chirped. "You need something?"

"We need to rescue Orihime Ino'ue and Rukia Kuchiki," Kurosaki said. "We're not gonna wait around for Soul Society to get off its collective asses to help out."

"I'm just here to make sure María knows how to get here," Rangiku said.

"I see," Urahara said. "So, what am I supposed to do exactly? You need to train? You need to get to the right place? You need to buy equipment?"

"All of those!" Rangiku said.

María nodded. "Training definitely. This is gonna be very difficult. But I think I can get everyone there on my own."

"Oh, you again, María," Urahara said. "I'm glad you're here. I wanted to learn more about the an'uuto. Can you help with that? I'll help you in any way I can in exchange no matter what the cost."

María nodded. "Deal. I'll tell you everything."

Urahara grinned. "Great! Shall we begin?"

"Okay," María said. "I have the heidushuijing so I don't need to train all that much; I should be fine as long as I hold it."

Urahara nodded. "Tessai, get the training area ready. Let's make our guest welcome."

"I'll get right on it," the tall man, Tessai, said.

Sado, Kurosaki, Ishida, and Hoshi left with Tessai. As María watched them go, Rangiku patted her on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go back to the mansion," she said. "Toushirou will want me close by."

"Okay."

Rangiku left the store, leaving María alone with Urahara and the cat. Urahara walked into another room, where he sat down at a table. María followed him. "Care for some tea?" he asked.

"Yes please," she answered.

"I'll have Jinta and Ururu bring some in then." Now, what can you tell me about an'uuto?"

María began to explain everything she knew.

* * *

Orihime sat at the table next to Seia, watching the an'uuto soldiers eat their food. Without their helmets they were much more approachable. They were also interesting to look at. Most of them looked like humans with long pointed ears and a whimsical variety of hair and skin colors. Alongside those an'uuto were even more fantastic creatures, people who looked like they leapt from a fairytale book. There were an'uuto that looked like humans crossed with cats, rabbits, dogs, mice, birds, monkeys, and other animals. They would appear mostly human, but with animal ears and tails, sometimes other parts too. Just as wondrous were the an'uuto that were literally anthropomorphic animals. Similar to Captain Sajin Komamura, they looked like animals with humanoid builds.

"There are so many varieties of an'uuto," Orihime observed. "It's so amazing! They must think I look boring."

"Not at all," Seia answered. "The an'uuto think round ears like yours and mine are very cute. If you chose to live in Remuran you could become an idol."

Orihime found that hard to believe. Trying to picture was difficult, especially with thoughts of the bikini-clad dream Seia continuously creeping into her head. She blushed and looked away from Seia, back to the many an'uuto soldiers.

"Remuran sounds like a very interesting place," Orihime said. "What's it like there?"

"It's similar to your own home," Seia answered. "It's full of gleaming, metallic cities with many black towers. It's beautiful at night with all the colorful lights."

"That sounds nice."

Seia nodded. "It is. Remuran is very progressive and advanced. It's one of the few places in the World of Darkness where any one can live without racial prejudice being a problem."

Orihime looked at Seia with wonder. "No discrimination? That sounds really great!"

"I didn't say there isn't discrimination, period," Seia said. "I only meant _racial_ discrimination. There are other kinds."

Orihime's hopes fell somewhat. "Oh. Well who is discriminated against?"

"That's a complicated question," Seia answered. "I'll need to explain some philosophies and religious beliefs of Remuran." She took a breath before continuing. "Remuran is a very stratified society. It classifies people into two groups: the übermenschen and the untermenschen."

"Übermenschen and untermenschen?" Orihime repeated. She didn't like the sound of that at all. Despite what Seia said earlier about the lack of racial prejudice the terms she used sounded very racial, like something a fanatical racist might say.

"The übermenschen are the elite," Seia explained. "They are the people who've distinguished themselves as being more ambitious, intelligent, talented, and capable than others. You can say the übermenschen are the leaders and controllers of society. It's the dream of all hard-working untermenschen to one day qualify as übermenschen because übermenschen are simply considered _better_."

"And the untermenschen?" Orihime asked. Even if it wasn't racism, the class stratification was making her feel uneasy.

"The untermenschen are the 'common people', the masses, so to speak. Everyone in Remuran starts as one, and the most elite of the untermenschen will be elevated to übermensch status. The übermenschen are discovered through teachers and other professionals who interact with large groups of young people. They look for untermenschen who ask certain questions and demonstrate a great degree of talent. That system isn't perfect of course, so later everyone takes a series of tests to determine if one qualifies as an übermensch. If the test isn't passed then it can be retaken later. Most untermenschen don't bother if they failed though, and that's why they'll always be untermenschen in the first place—they have no desire to advance; they're fine with being…average."

Seia smiled at Orihime. "I'm sure you could become an übermensch, Orihime. You're a very bright girl."

"But I don't want to be better than other people!" Orihime protested. "I just want to be treated like everyone else."

"That brings me to another point about Remuran," Seia said. "There, egalitarianism and equality are considered lies. People are _not_ equal in any way. There are notions like equality of opportunity and rights, but people themselves are not equal. Not everyone can be ambitious or intelligent or athletic. It all depends on the individual."

"But isn't inequality the reason you left Soul Society in the first place?" Orihime argued. "The gap between the rich and poor…"

"You misunderstand," Seia said. "The untermenschen may be considered less important than the übermenschen but the untermenschen aren't left to live in squalor and to fend for themselves like the people of Rukongai unless an untermensch decides to not be useful to society. In that case an untermensch will have a very hard time living."

It all sounded so _wrong_ to Orihime. She had been taught most of her life that people were equal, and then to learn of a society where inequality was considered the virtue…As hard as she tried to imagine such a society, she could only see it as cold and unfeeling. She found the whole concept very disturbing. Was this really the place Seia wanted to take her to so badly?

"Is that what you really believe, Seia?" Orihime asked quietly. "Is it really right to keep people unequal like that?"

Seia fell silent. Orihime saw Seia's golden eyes glance away for a second. "It's better than Soul Society," she answered after a beat. "Some people…are just better than others."

Orihime returned to picking at her food. "I see. Thank you for telling me."

"Your welcome."

Orihime wasn't sure she wanted to go to Remuran at all now. Maybe she was just being closed-minded and they had a very effective way of running things, but she couldn't shake the feeling that such a place would be devoid of compassion. She knew it was silly to think in such an absolute way though; no nation was totally heartless, no matter bad it seemed.

_But…_

* * *

"An'uuto are pretty complex creatures," Urahara said. He sipped at his tea. María's eyes were roving around the shop.

"So you're a scientist," she said.

"An inventor by trade," Urahara answered.

"Are you working on anything right now?"

Urahara tapped his chin thoughtfully with his fan. "I've got a few things in mind."

"Like what?"

"Let's see; a portable inflatable gigai, an an'uuto sensor—with your help that'll be easy to do—a mass kikanshinki—"

"A what?" María asked.

"A mass kikanshinki. A kikanshinki is a device shinigami use to modify memories in humans so they don't remember any weird things. I built a kikanshinki that works on a mass scale in case something _really_ embarrassing happens that would be hard to cover up."

"Oh." María wondered what kind of situation would require such a drastic action.

* * *

The day slipped into evening. Rangiku sat around bored, waiting for María to return. It turned out that the Anyetuan decided the treaty still held up even after the incident with Rukia as they were still trying to determine if Rukia was acting on Soul Society's orders.

"They're definitely stalling," Toushirou had said after reading the announcement. "I don't like this."

They talked about it with Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai on the monitor they set up in the mansion, but since they didn't know what to expect exactly there was little they could do until the treaty ended.

Eventually María, Mion, and Uryuu returned. Mion and Uryuu looked worn out, but María was relatively energetic. "Hey guys!" Rangiku greeted.

"Hey," María replied. She smiled at Rangiku. "Things are going pretty well so far. Are you gonna declare war on Anyetuan?"

"No, they still wanna keep to the treaty," Rangiku answered. "It gives you more time to train, at least."

María frowned. "They rarely do anything without a good reason. Something's up."

"That's what my captain thinks too."

Uryuu and Mion left for their respective rooms. Rangiku thought they had the right idea. She began to get some naughty thoughts. "Hey María," she whispered, "if you're up for a little fun come to my room."

A wide smile spread across María's face. "I think I'll take you up on that."

The pair tried not to look too excited as they crossed over to their room. Giggling to herself, Rangiku let María in first and closed the door behind her. Rangiku practically leapt from her gigai and onto the bed. María climbed in with her and hugged Rangiku tightly. Rangiku felt María line her throat with quick, lightning-fast kisses. One hand moved to her butt and gave it a playful slap, teasing a little yelp from Rangiku.

"So feisty!" Rangiku laughed. "Let me get more comfortable…" She pulled her arms out of her sleeves, leaving the top half of her shihakushou to slide off her torso, exposing her bountiful chest. María's eyes widened appreciatively, and she shot her hands out to grasp them.

"You're making me _so_ hungry, Rangiku!" María declared. "I just wanna _eat_ you up, starting with your girls here!"

Rangiku purred sensually as María began to hungrily lick and suck at her breasts, her hot tongue darting out to expertly tease her. It was exciting to know María was so experienced in sexual matters. She noted with amusement that when María was horny she resembled a hungry predator with her wide, wild eyes and sharp little fangs. It made her wonder a little if on some level María might've meant it _literally_ when she said she was hungry for her. Whichever way María meant it though, Rangiku couldn't deny how good it felt for the small heipomian to lightly bathe her well-sized bust in her saliva.

María gave a few more reverent licks before stopped and fixing Rangiku was a serious look. "Rangiku," she said solemnly, "there's something I want to ask you."

Rangiku looked down at her. "Okay. Shoot."

María hesitated. She looked nervous. "Would it be all right," she said carefully, "if I…bit you?"

Rangiku was mildly surprised but she supposed María's request made sense. She had bitten her before and it had been uncomfortable and vaguely sickening, but María had needed to feed without any concern for whom she was feeding from. Here that wouldn't be a problem. It still sounded a little weird to Rangiku though.

"I promise I won't hurt you," María said pleadingly. "If you don't wanna I understand…"

Rangiku smiled. "I'll give it a try. It sounds exciting actually!"

María's eyes lit up with an especially lustful glee. "Really? Okay, where to bite you? So many juicy places…"

María's gaze moved down to Rangiku's left breast. Rangiku tensed up as María brought her face to her breast. The girl stared at her left breast like it was an especially ripe piece of fruit and opened her mouth, her fangs gleaming. The fangs sunk into the fatty tissue just above the nipple, the sharp sting making Rangiku wince. The pain was gone in a second though, replaced by the sensation of María sucking softly at her. Her eyes were half closed and she seemed utterly blissful. The feel of María's soft lips against her flesh and the slow sucking motions of her mouth were completely different from the eagerness she displayed earlier. It was slower and sweeter, but no less erotic. Rangiku let her head hang back and just concentrated on the feeling.

Rangiku didn't know how much time at come by, but it still felt too soon when María withdrew her fangs. The bite marks María left were surprisingly small and clean; a little crimson trickle was the only sign of blood left, and María licked that up quickly. She looked up at her. Rangiku saw nervousness in her eyes.

"Was that all right?" María.

"I thought that was really sexy," Rangiku said truthfully. "Next time let's come up with kinky role-play ideas."

María looked relieved. "I'm so glad you liked me biting you. When you're not an an'uuto it must seem weird and scary."

"I was kinda scared," Rangiku admitted, "but I don't have anything to worry about when it's you, María." She smiled warmly at the girl, but she felt a little dizzy too. She clasped a hand to her forehead.

"I think you took a little too much outta me," she said.

"Sorry," María answered sheepishly. "You're not up for any more?"

"Get undressed and find out."

María didn't need to be told twice. She threw off her clothes and got under the covers with Rangiku. They spend a long time kissing, cuddling, hugging, and lovemaking. By the time the two were done it was hours later. They were panting and sweating, but very happy.

"I love you," María said, giving Rangiku a final sweet kiss on her lips.

"Love you too, baby," Rangiku said. She wore a tired, content smile.

The girls lay in bed silently. With things finally having calmed down, Rangiku was able to think. Some questions came to mind about María, ones that bothered her. She turned over and nudged the girl next to her.

"Hey María?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you get the heidushuijing in the first place? I know you stole it, but _how'd_ you steal it from such powerful bad guys?"

"It's weird actually," María said. "Okay, it started when I was getting used to life in Anheisi. Niou enthralled me at first, but as time went on I was getting skeptical of her claims for a better world. Alba believed in her though, so I was quiet at first. I really began to get the feeling Niou just wanted to use us. Then I ran into one of the main leaders of the operation, Prince Resu. It was just us, no one else around, and he called me a pawn, a worthless piece in the game the Exquisite Sovereigns and Niou were playing. He also remarked that Niou wasn't playing the game properly and bad things would happen because of that. No one believed me when I told them of the incident though, especially not Alba. I knew something was up and I wanted to get out of there."

"And then what?" Rangiku asked.

"I go into a fight with Alba. I wanted to leave Anyetuan, but she not only refused to go with me, she would physically prevent me from leaving if I tried. So I sulked around in a bad mood, wondering what to do. Then when nearly everyone was sleeping a soldier walked outside my door holding the heidushuijing. I don't know what he was doing with it and I didn't care at the time; I had my chance to escape. I overpowered and killed the guard, taking the heidushuijing. I escaped with it, my power increased by it. I only started wondering after I escaped if maybe he had tried to steal it, but he didn't act like it. I can't imagine that Niou would let a guy like that carry it around."

"That is strange," Rangiku said. She snuggled closer to María and draped an arm over her. "I hope you find out the truth soon."

"I don't care too much," María answered. "The important thing would be stopping Anyetuan."

"Yeah."

"Rangiku?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for the blood."

"Anytime."

"You taste good."

"That's creepy, but thanks."

"_Really_ good."

"Okay."

"I wouldn't mind a little more…"

"María, if I wake up covered in bite marks then I'm not sleeping with you any more."

"Sorry. I'll stop now."

"Thanks. Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

Orihime was running. Running from what, she didn't know. Hollows, thugs, zombies, crazy ninja penguins, five hundred different varieties of rahkshi (whatever a rahkshi was), killer tacos, all of those, none of those. She just needed to escape.

Suddenly, the clouds parted and a silver-clad knight on a pink pegasus swooped from the heavens and lanced the bad things to death. The knight leapt down and caught Orihime around her waist firmly. Picking her up, the silver knight carried Orihime.

"I'm dreaming again, aren't I?" Orihime asked.

The knight said something completely unintelligible, muffled by the helmet.

"And you're Seia, aren't you?"

The knight pushed the helmet off, revealing long black hair, dark skin, and golden eyes.

"Surprised?" asked Seia.

"No, not really," Orihime answered.

Dream Seia looked crestfallen. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

They landed on a hilltop. Orihime jumped down, followed by dream Seia. The pegasus flew away behind them. They sat down together in the purple grass.

"Are you my subconscious trying to tell me I'm in love with Seia?" Orihime asked.

Dream Seia smiled. "I don't you know—perhaps if I kiss you and you like it you'll know."

Orihime shrugged. It couldn't hurt to try. "All right. Here we go…" She closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Her heartbeat increased as she waited, and it almost stopped the second she felt dream Seia's lips meet hers. They were warm and soft, and after the initial shock she found herself relaxing in the warmth. Was that really how Seia's lips felt? It felt heavenly.

Orihime opened her eyes to find dream Seia up against her. Her eyes were closed too. Orihime thought she looked beautiful. A pleasant warmth was filling her up. It just felt so _good_ to kiss Seia, even if it was just a dream. It was a feeling she also got when thinking intimately of Kurosaki.

_Kurosaki…_

"So did you like that?" dream Seia asked with a sensual smile.

Orihime couldn't lie. "Yes," she said hesitantly. "I did." She felt very confused. Was she really attracted to Seia after a lifetime of thinking she was heterosexual? It didn't seem possible that such an attraction would kick in so suddenly, and for only one person. Was she waiting for just the right one, or would she now start finding other women attractive too?

Dream Seia took Orihime's hand and guided it to her pubis. "Erm?" Orihime watched, puzzled.

Dream Seia began to make Orihime's hand rub in a circular motion around her pubis. Since she was still wearing her armor she couldn't possibly have felt anything at all from that. "The real Seia likes this very much," dream Seia said.

Orihime felt heat rise to her cheeks. "That's good to know. Thank you." Was dream Seia suggesting they would have a sexual relationship? She thought they would need to know each other for a little longer before that.

Dream Seia smiled and suddenly put her hand into Orihime's skirt and into her panties. Orihime yelped with shock as the dream woman's entered her sex and began stroking her center. She shivered and squirmed.

"What're you—_Ah!_" She couldn't resist; Orihime leaned back, using her hands to support herself. She groaned as the fingers probed her dripping slit. Any longer and she would—

* * *

Orihime woke up once again. She was in her room at Anheisi. No hill. No Seia in shining armor. She was out of her strange dream.

Except something was still fingering her sex. For a brief instant she was terrified someone was molesting her, but she realized it was her own hand shoved into her underwear. Her fingers slid into the warm slit and caressed her clitoris of their own accord. She couldn't stop, and every second brought her closer to climax. Even as she masturbated images of Seia flooded her consciousness, both real and from her dreams.

"_Seia…_" she panted, giving in to the beautiful images. "_Seia! Oh Seia!_"

She saw Seia smiling, talking to her, being friendly, her wearing that leather outfit from the first dream, the bikini from the second dream, the armor from the third dream. Everything about her seemed so wonderful, from her friendly personality to her high intelligence to her perfectly proportioned figure.

"_Orihime…_"

"_Seia!_" Orihime's climax was like a brief internal explosion around her clitoris and vagina. She shivered, her fingers still working furiously. Then it was over, and the intense please passed. Her hand finally stopped. She pulled it out, fluids glistening wetly on her fingers.

There was no doubt in her mind at all now; she had masturbated to fantasies of Seia. She _had_ to be attracted to her. There was just no other explanation of what was happening.

Orihime stared at the ceiling. _Only one day left,_ she thought. _One day before I decide my fate._

She had to talk to Seia.

* * *

The first thing Orihime did when it was time to get up was find Seia. She caught the woman as she was leaving her own room. "Seia!"

Seia brightened as soon as she heard her. "Hello Orihime!"

Orihime stopped in front of her. "Seia, can we please talk in my room?" she asked breathlessly.

Seia nodded. "Very well then."

Orihime's heart thumped the entire wall back to her room. She had no idea how Seia would react, or even if she would have enough courage to confess her true feelings in the first place. She had to try though. There wasn't much time left.

Seia sat on the edge of her bed and looked at Orihime. "So what do you have to say?" she asked.

Orihime nervously twiddled her fingers. "Well," she began, struggling to find the right words, "Seia, I, erm, I've been thinking about you a lot since I met you and…and…I just can't get you out of my mind."

"Oh?"

Orihime couldn't see any other way to put it. If she continued the way she was going she would never get to the point. "I think I'm in love with you!" she admitted in a single breath. She cast her eyes aside, afraid to see Seia's reaction. A silence fell over the room, neither girl speaking.

The suspense was unbearable. Orihime fear rejection, but she expected it too. Seia already had not one but two beautiful lovers. What chance did she have with Seia?

"Orihime…"

"Yes?"

"Orihime, I…Do you really mean that?" Seia sounded close to tears, her voice shaking. Orihime returned her gaze to her. Seia had balled her fists in her lap and a smile was on her face. Her eyes were wide and joyful. "The very moment I laid my eyes upon you I was enchanted. I knew you were special. You're so pretty and sweet and bright…"

"You were in love with me the entire time?" Orihime asked.

"Yes," Seia admitted, looked as relieved as Orihime felt, "I know it's selfish of me to desire you when I already have Suzuko and Tara, but in truth our relationship is very loose. Under Remuranian law there's nothing prohibiting how many partners you have even in marriage, and those two have slept around on occasion. They'd have no problem if I had feelings for you."

"Oh, I see," Orihime said. She moved to Seia's side and sat beside her on the bed.

"I wanted to tell you how I felt," she said, "before I give my decision to the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns."

"Thank you Orihime. I was too afraid you would reject me if I admitted how I felt to you," Seia said.

"I don't know how I would've reacted earlier," Orihime said. "It was just a little while ago I realized my real feelings. I was really confused before that."

Seia didn't reply. The two sat there silently on the bed, looking at the mirror. Orihime thought it was a little funny how tall Seia was compared to her. When put side-by-side Orihime appeared very small next to her.

"So…what now?" Orihime asked awkwardly.

"Good question," Seia replied. She thought for a second. "Do you have anyone else?"

"Excuse me?"

"Anyone else you care about," Seia clarified. "Surely someone as beautiful as you must have suitors."

Orihime blushed and smiled. "Well, there is someone I care for very much…"

"Does this person care for you?"

"Only as a friend," Orihime sighed. "He doesn't know my feelings for him yet."

"I see," Seia said. She looked down to Orihime. "If this person means a lot for you then I'll stay out of your way."

Even though Seia sounded normal Orihime saw a lot of sadness in her eyes. It was obvious the woman longed for her and Orihime couldn't bring herself to refuse her. Besides, at least they had feelings for each other and knew it. "No!" she nearly shouted. "No, it's all right. I want to be with you too now, Seia." She clasped Seia's hand tightly. She had to stand up to bring herself up to Seia's face and deliver a quick kiss to her full lips. "I love you."

Seia smiled warmly and said, "I love you too, Orihime." She drew the girl close and returned the kiss. This time the kiss was anything but quick. Their lips pressed together tightly, and Orihime was in a state of bliss. Her eyes closed and unconsciously she reached down and brushed her fingers around Seia's pubis. Had she been looking at Seia she would have seen the older woman's eyes snap open in shock. What Orihime did notice was how hot the kiss was getting. Seia thrust her fluttering tongue to her mouth, surprising Orihime pleasantly. Her fingers swirled around Seia's lap, rubbing and caressing. She brought her tongue against Seia's with equal fervor, feeling the mixture of warm saliva pooling in their joined mouths.

Suddenly Orihime wasn't touching a lap; to her puzzlement, she found herself grasping something long and hard through Seia's robe. She opened her eyes and broke off the kiss to inspect what she had. There was now a large bulge at Seia's lap, something long and hard. Seia herself was blushing deeply, her eyes embarrassed. Orihime looked at the bulge, then at Seia as a whole. She noted Seia's feminine face and her womanly curves. Her eyes went down to Seia's lap again and found the long protrusion was still there. Her mind attempted to reconcile the surreal image before her, but she was having a very hard time of it.

"Seia," Orihime said evenly, "are you actually a man?"

"No!" Seia blurted out, somewhat defensively. "I mean, I know how this looks but I…"

"Seia, women aren't supposed to have those," Orihime said. "What are you doing with one?"

"It's kind of a long story," Seia muttered. She vainly tried to cover the thick bulge with her hands, but it didn't help very much.

"Seia, it's okay," Orihime said encouragingly. "If you chose to live as a woman then I'm totally fine with that. If you think you're a woman in a man's body then you have every right to get that corrected."

"Orihime, I'm not a man and I never was a man," Seia grumbled. "I'm a woman with a few extra features." She was still blushing furiously.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Seia looked irritably at her own erection. "I was hoping to keep this a secret. Tara and Suzuko know—and they're all the same way—but I figured it would be too much for you."

Orihime looked at the lewd bulge. It was freaky seeing a woman with an erection, but she didn't see anything terribly wrong with it. It certainly was interesting, and Orihime had a lot of questions about it now, not the least of which was if Seia didn't need to sit down to urinate. The more she thought about it and looked at it, the hotter she began to feel. There was something very exciting seeing a shapely woman with a manly bulge, an irresistibly androgynous contradiction. Orihime blushed thinking of the…things she could do with it.

"It'll go away if it's not stimulated," Seia said. "If you want I'll wait for that."

Orihime strode over to Seia and grasped the long protrusion. Seia made a single sound that might have been one of protest, but it died down soon enough. "I don't want it to go away," Orihime said with a smile. She began to slowly rub the erection with her hands.

Seia sighed Orihime's name, a look of deep pleasure coming over her features. She looked even more relieved that Orihime had accepted her unusual organ.

"Can I see it?" Orihime asked excitedly, and released the erection. Seia smiled and slowly slipped out of her clothes. Orihime watched with bated breath as Seia's nude body was revealed to her. First her magnificent breasts came free of their restraints and bounced into view. This was followed by the large penis jutting obscenely from her pelvis. It grew from just above her clitoris, and Orihime noticed she appeared to lack testicles. Her breath caught in her throat seeing Seia fully unclothed. The woman was as shapely as Orihime initially thought, but her body was also very toned and athletic. Her penis was large enough that it looked a bit scary to her, but its sheer size gave Seia a definite kind of power. She loved how arrogant it looked jutting up from her body.

"You know Orihime," Seia purred, "I have more than just this thing." She stroked her erect member for emphasis.

"What do you mean?" Orihime wondered what else Seia could possibly have. She hoped it wasn't anything too freaky.

Instead of speaking her answer, Seia began to massage her own breasts. Orihime watched, entranced, as Seia's hands squeezed and fondled her full orbs. The woman let out sexy little moans and groans that Orihime knew she was only making for her pleasure, but she didn't care; the sounds coming out of Seia were making her very hot.

"Almost there, almost there," Seia panted. Orihime watched her carefully. Were Seia's nipples larger than before? In fact, her breasts had taken a more swollen appearance, like they had grown slightly larger.

Seia then released her breasts, causing them to wobble cutely, and sighed happily. "There now." She cupped her breasts in her hands and held them for Orihime to see. To her surprise, small pearlescent droplets formed at the tips of the nipples. Leaning in closer, she saw to her amazement that Seia's nipples had begun dripping.

"Milk?" Orihime asked, bewildered.

"Yes, it's my milk," Seia answered. She was blushing again, a look of clear arousal in her eyes.

Orihime clapped her hands and laughed. "Wow! You're just so sexy and amazing, Seia!" She looked at the milk gently leaking from the ripe bosoms and felt a surge of heat within her. "Can I please have some?" she asked demurely.

Seia flashed a lascivious grin. "Take as much as you want."

Heart pounding, Orihime leaned close. She tentatively stuck out her tongue and licked a nipple, catching some drops of milk. She took a second to register the flavor: warm and mildly sweet with a thicker consistency than she was used to with all but the richest milks she tasted before. It was heavenly and she wanted more.

Orihime was about to go Seia's amazing breasts when she realized that all that milk might get messy. She hastily pulled her clothes off and tossed them over her shoulder. That done, she moved close to Seia and enveloped a nipple with her mouth. She heard Seia groan lustily at the sensation and a shiver ran through Orihime's body, aroused just from the knowledge that she was giving such pleasure to her new lover. She felt at the big nipple for a moment, devoting time to exploring the shape and feel. The areola was covered in small bumps, and she could taste the sweet milk dripping down to her tongue. Orihime sucked at it and was surprised by the sudden flood of milk spraying heavily into her mouth. She closed her eyes and drank greedily, relishing the wonderful taste. Something warm splashed against her cheek and well-developed breasts. To Orihime's amusement, Seia's unattended nipple was spraying milk in a fine stream all over her, covering her in a slight misting of milk. It felt so intimate, so _right_ to suckle at Seia's breast like a newborn. Orihime had seldom felt so safe and loved.

At her stomach, Seia's fat erection rubbed and poked into her. It was so big and hard it felt like a warm bar of iron. She wanted to taste Seia's penis, and reluctantly let the leaking breast slip from her mouth. "I want to taste you down here now," Orihime said.

Seia nodded, and spread her legs. Orihime bent toward her erection How strange it was that her first effort at oral sex would be to a penis belonging to a beautiful woman! Her lips touched the smooth head, which she gave a worshipful kiss. She worked her way down, kissing and licking at the muscular, veined shaft. Beneath that was Seia beautiful glistening slit. She wanted to pleasure both parts, but she focused on the penis. Opening her pretty mouth, she took in the penis head and started licking and sucking. Seia lowered her hands to her, petting her head affectionately and stroking her long orange hair.

"I'll warn you when I'm close," Seia kindly offered. Orihime nodded her head in acknowledgment but she didn't care if Seia came in her mouth. She wanted that, in fact.

The young girl swirled her tongue against the silk-smooth head of Seia's penis. Her breasts pushed up against the lower part of the thick shaft, elicited delighted moans from the older woman. Orihime tasted a creamy substance at the tip of the penis. As it gathered on her tongue she concluded the cream was the same as the mother's milk Seia produced, but thicker and stickier. She eagerly lapped it up, thinking of the amount Seia would produce at the moment of orgasm.

As Orihime continued lavishing attention on the hot length, she noticed Seia had begun kneading her breasts, forcing milk to squirt out over her. Seia was moaning and sighing as she pleasured herself, even pushing her breasts up together to lick at suck at her milky nipples. Orihime decided she didn't want to wait any long, and reached out to Seia's tender, wet slit. Sucking on Seia as hard as she could, she fingered Seia simultaneously. Seia stopped playing with her breasts to lean back and moan loudly.

"I'm almost there Orihime!" she panted. Orihime gave a few more hard surges to Seia's slit and pumped her erection with her other hand. Seia cried out and a stream of thick, creamy milk blasted into her eager mouth. Orihime was taken off-guard by the copious flood and she choked on it, spiting out Seia's penis. The moment she did another hot stream issued forth all over her face. She was barely aware of the wetness of Seia's labia. By the third stream Orihime had opened her mouth to catch as much of the sweet milky cream as she could. It washed over her teeth and tongue, sliding back down her throat. It ran down to her breast, pooling her cleavage.

When Seia's climax finally ended Orihime was drenched in milk. She was licking it off her face contently, the stream have died to a gentle ooze trickling from Seia's still-hard member. "Aren't you greedy, Orihime?" Seia laughed. "Share a little of that!" With that, Seia got down to Orihime's level and began to lap up her own milk from Orihime's face and breasts, like a mother cat cleaning her kitten. She then grabbed Orihime and delivered her a sloppy kiss, the two swapping the warm, creamy fluids. When they finally stopped, Orihime was burning with desire. She had lavished Seia with attention for a while now, and Orihime tingled as she imagined being entered by Seia's huge penis.

"Seia," she whispered, "I want you in me now."

Seia gave her a subtle smile and climbed up onto the bed, laying with her back supported by the pillow. Orihime straddled her toned thighs and began to lower herself onto Seia's thick shaft, preparing herself for the exquisite penetration.

"Wait, Orihime!"

Orihime stopped dead at the serious tone. "What is it Seia?" she asked, worried. Seia now looked very stern.

"Before we do this," Seia stated, "I need to know one thing, and I want you to tell the truth."

"Of course!" Orihime affirmed.

"Are you a virgin, Orihime?"

Orihime blinked. That was it? "Yes, Seia. I'm still a virgin. Is that a problem?"

Seia sat up and fixed Orihime with a very solemn look. "Orihime, unless you're absolutely sure that I'm the one for you and you'll be joining me, Tara, and Suzuko then I refuse to take your virginity."

Orihime was betrayed by her guilt. She looked away from Seia and didn't say anything.

"By the look on your face, I take you don't intend to stay with us," Seia said, unable to totally mask a sense of sad disappointment.

"Seia," Orihime said, "I thought about it long and hard, and I don't really want to go to Remuran. I'm sure it's a good enough place for you, but…I don't really agree with all the stuff you told me about it. I'm sorry."

Seia looked away from her. Her face was even, but Orihime glimpsed sadness in her eyes. "I understand. If you don't want to go I can't make you. It's your choice and I respect that."

Orihime smiled sadly. "Thank you Seia." She moved to her side and kissed her cheek. "I love you, and I'm happy to have met you."

Seia turned back to her and smiled back. "I'm glad we met too. If this is the last day we ever see each other, then I'll make sure we never forget it."

She spread Orihime's legs and with her fingers pried open her waiting sex. "I may not deflower anyone unless they're ready for commitment," Seia said, "but I am willing to try other things."

Orihime nearly came when she felt Seia's warm breath upon her open sex, and she very nearly screamed when Seia's tongue brushed against her sensitive folds. There was no hesitation from the older woman as she teased and searched with her long, moist tongue. She would enter her slit then pull out to suck at Orihime's clitoris. The pleasure was beyond anything Orihime imagined. Her sex felt like it was on fire. All she could do was grip the sheets and shiver under Seia's ministrations. Everything was involuntary now, which made it even sexier to her; Seia was so good Orihime no longer controlled her own body! Every lick made the heat well up inside her. When the dam inevitably burst Orihime shrieked, calling Seia's name. At her release Orihime felt a pang of regret that she wouldn't be living with the woman she sincerely loved.

Spent, Orihime panted, a satisfied but sad smile on her face. "Thank you Seia. That was the most wonderful time ever."

"We could be doing this long into the future," Seia said. "Are you sure you want to turn it all down?"

Orihime winced. It was so tempting. "I think I'll stick to my decision. Remuran isn't for me."

She clasped Seia's hand in her own and squeezed it tightly. The two were silent for a long time.

"Seia?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you have a penis and can let down milk?"

Seia chuckled. "It's funny story," she said. "I really want to have children, but I chose to try a 'mother preparation' simulation, where I go through some of the trials of parenting to see what it's like. I opted to have my milk glands tricked into thinking I was pregnant, so I could experience first-hand the expression of milk. Well in the middle of that Tara told me that any plans for children would have to wait because we were preparing for this mission. I needed to get rid of my milk, and Suzuko started drinking it from me. It became a fetish of ours, and I got surgery to make it permanent. If I stimulate my breasts enough they express milk."

"But what about your penis?" Orihime asked.

"That came later. Suzuko and Tara and I were playing around with my enhanced breasts when Suzuko joked that I was her mother and Tara was her father. This gave Tara the idea to have a penis surgically attached to her, and we liked it so much Suzuko and I had our own operations. We had so we ejaculate a milk variation so we don't run the risk of pregnancy, but I'd like to be pregnant someday."

They continued to chat about this and that.

"How did you know that rubbing my pubis would make my penis emerge?" Seia asked.

"From a dream," Orihime answered.

"A dream?"

"Yes. I've been dreaming about you since coming here. You were so sexy in my dreams that I knew I must've loved you."

Seia fell silent, her face concerned. Orihime noticed with some worry.

"Is something wrong?"

Seia suddenly smiled. "Oh, no. I just think that's weird how you dreamed that."

Orihime had the queerest feeling Seia was faking her smile and that something was seriously bothering her, but she figured it was just that they would likely never see each other again, and she began to cry.

"I'll miss you Seia," she sniffled. "You're a great friend and I love you."

Seia shed a tear herself. "And you too. I love you, Orihime Ino'ue."

After cleaning themselves up and some rest, it was getting close to the time the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns would reappear for Orihime's decision. When Orihime returned to the meeting hall everyone of importance to Anyetuan (minus Prince Resu) was in attendance.

The dark image of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns returned, looming over the room.

"_Good evening, Miss Ino'ue,_" Rubihatsu said, not unkindly. "_You are looking well tonight._"

"_Have you made a decision, Miss Ino'ue?_" the deep-voiced old man Exquisite Sovereign asked.

"I have, Your Imperial Majesties," Orihime said. She glanced over at Seia, who smiled supportively. It put her at ease. "I ultimately decided not to go to Remuran. From what I've heard you have much to teach people in the worlds I know. You look favorably at same-sex relationships and marriage. You embrace people of all kinds. These are all wonderful qualities, and I think my world needs more tolerance like that. But I also believe in equality, which I understand is looked down on in your land. I don't want to live in a strictly stratified nation, even if I were accepted as an übermensch; I don't want to be treated as superior to other people, I want to be treated as equal. I'm sorry, but that's just how I feel."

The Exquisite Sovereigns talked quietly among themselves. Seia smiled sadly at Orihime and she returned the gesture.

_I'll miss you always, Seia._

"_We appreciate you learning about our culture,_" Rubihatsu said.

"_And we appreciate your honesty very much,_" the horned female Exquisite Sovereign added.

"_But unfortunately it doesn't amount to anything,_" the Exquisite Sovereign with Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice declared.

Orihime looked up, startled. "E-excuse me?" she stammered.

Some solders appeared, carrying someone small between them. They dropped the figure into a chair near Orihime's. She was shocked to recognize the slight figure as Rukia Kuchiki. Her eyes were wide and hollow, staring straight ahead. Her face was sallow and drawn.

"Kuchiki?" Orihime asked.

"I lied," Kuchiki spoke, her voice a high whisper. "I was sent by Soul Society to stop the heipomian. I admit everything."

Orihime looked around trying to find an explanation. "What? Why is Kuchiki here?" She looked at Seia, but she was as confused as her.

"_Miss Kuchiki confessed to her covert crimes a few hours before,_" the revolting sugary-voiced girl Exquisite Sovereign said. "_That means Soul Society broke the treaty and you'll be taken to us immediately!_"

"What?" Orihime gasped. "No, I—"

"_Miss Ino'ue, you signed a binding and legal contract,_" Rubihatsu offered. "_You assured me you understood the terms you were agreeing too. It was all there in the fine print. If you lied about reading it though, then I'm afraid I don't feel much sympathy for you._"

Orihime got up and ran to Kuchiki's side. "Kuchiki, you didn't really try anything, did you? Tell them you didn't!"

"I lied. I was sent by Soul Society to stop the heipomian. I admit everything," Kuchiki droned mindlessly.

Orihime recoiled, seeing the totally empty look in Kuchiki's eyes. She spun angrily around to the Exquisite Sovereigns again. "What's wrong with her?" she demanded. "What did you do to her!"

"_Lady Niou needed to question her,_" the old man spoke again. "_It seems the shinigami's mind snapped under the questioning._"

"She was weak," Niou said smugly.

"And now she's out to lunch forever!" Nouhara laughed.

"I lied. I was sent by Soul Society to stop the heipomian. I admit everything," Kuchiki repeated a third time.

"Kuchiki…" Orihime whispered through clenched teeth. She felt terrible for holding any ill will toward her friend the last time they met. Now she may never talk to her again.

"_It is regrettable,_" the kindly horned female Exquisite Sovereign said, "_but Miss Kuchiki's welfare is not as important as your own, Miss Ino'ue. You're just more important that she was._"

"_Kuchiki's my friend!_" Orihime yelled, taking hold of the limp girl's hand. Hot, angry tears flowed from her eyes. "_You can't just say she's worth less than me!_"

"_You miserable little wench!_" an Exquisite Sovereign with a screeching, wickedly guttural voice thundered. Orihime as a child would have associated a voice like that with the legendary witch Yamanba. "_How dare you presume to question us!_"

The horned Exquisite Sovereign silenced the hag. "_Miss Ino'ue, would you accept taking Miss Kuchiki with you to Remuran? We can heal her and give her a new life in our land. What do you say?_"

Orihime looked at the pathetic shell that used to be Rukia Kuchiki. She couldn't bear to see her friend like that. "You promise to return her to normal?"

"_That can be arranged,_" Rubihatsu said. "_We will prepare a contract. Jus sign it and—_"

"_Make them weep, Shoujahitsumetsu!_" A brilliant white glow filled the room, startling everyone present.

"_Cover your eyes, Orihime!_" came Seia's voice. Orihime obeyed without thinking. She heard cries of pain and protest around her, and then a strong hand grabbed her arm. Seia began yelling in the an'uuto language; her voice was right next to Orihime, meaning she was the one holding her. The Exquisite Sovereigns talked back in the same language, and Seia talked back, her voice getting angrier and angrier. Niou's voice joined in. Orihime couldn't understand a word of it, but Seia was arguing with everyone.

"Get ready to run," Seia whispered. Before the command could register, Seia was running yanking Orihime along, who in turn was yanking Kuchiki along. Luckily Kuchiki followed along, no longer having the will to resist anything.

Orihime looked to see Seia with her zanpakutou, a glowing blade of light like a lightsaber from the _Star Wars_ films. She was running along with her and Kuchiki pass soldiers rubbing their eyes, groaning in pain. Seia was very strong and fast, pulling them right along.

"We're getting out of here," Seia said.

Niou screamed something behind them. Orihime didn't look back.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**_Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File_**

Princess Orihime (プリンセス・オリヒメ _Purinsesu Orihime_), Princess Tatsuki (プリンセス・タツキ _Purinsesu Tatsuki_), and the Killer Robots from the Horsehead Nebula (馬頭星雲のキラーロボット達 (ばとうせいうんのキラーロボットたち) _Batou Seiun no Kiraa Robotto-Tachi_) are all characters in Orihime's dream.

Dream Weavers (夢織工 (むしょっこう) _Mushokkou_) are the clerics of Rireishi. They have many dream-based powers.

Yuuji Oozora (大空悠児 (おおぞらゆうじ) _Oozora Yuuji_) was Estrella Mort's former human identity and Ayame Akagi (赤城綾女 (あかぎあやめ) _Akagi Ayame_) was a friend of his. Reportedly she looks similar to María Susana.

The übermenschen (超人 (ちょうじん) _choujin_) and the untermenschen (劣等人 (れっとうじん) _rettoujin_) are the two classes of Remuranian society. The übermenschen are the politicians, artists, scientists, doctors, poets, teachers, philosophers, clerics, generals, lawyers, and other people in elite professions. Generally the übermenschen are considered more valuable than the untermenschen are. The untermenschen are the common workers, soldiers, and labor; the followers rather than leaders in most cases, although some untermenschen cannot or will not work, and these are considered useless people. Even worse are untermenschen who support themselves through crime and are actively destructive. All citizens of Remuran begin life as untermenschen, but by proving themselves worthy they can be accepted as übermenschen.

* * *

_Author's note: Happy one-year anniversary, "Bleach: Creatures of the Night"! Thanks to everyone who has kept with the story so far! I wanted to write the best chapter possible for this moment. I think I did a satisfactory job of it myself, but be sure to give me your thoughts on it when you review. By the way, I hope you enjoyed the sex here because that's the last of it. The rest of the story will be action and the conclusion. _

_This chapter had some content deleted from it. A big removal was a fight between Nemu and Uryuu alongside Mion. Nemu was going to try to capture an an'uuto for Mayuri to study and Mion was the one she chose to bring back. Originally Mion and Uryuu were not going to join Ichigo and Chad under Urahara's shop until after the Nemu encounter to avoid any future conflicts. I thought it was adding too much, so I got rid of it. A smaller deletion was a moment where Rukia shows she's resisting Tara's "mind rape" and Tara retaliates by forcing Rukia dream Byakuya calls her worthless and rapes her. The rape itself wouldn't be described, but I still didn't really want to write that once I thought about it. _

_I thought Orihime stand against the Exquisite Sovereigns was a little silly, but I couldn't think of a better reason why she would refuse to go along with their plans. What do you think?_

_One last voice for the story._

Screeching, wickedly guttural old hag Exquisite Sovereign

Japanese: Hisako Kyouda (Zirconia in _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Supers_, Genkai in _Yuuyuu Hakusho_)

English: Barbara Goodson (baker's wife in _Dears_, Torogai in _Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit_)


	18. Countdown to Extinction

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**18. ****破滅へのカウントダウン**

**18. Countdown to Extinction**

"_Have you made a decision, Miss Ino'ue?_" asked Exquisite Sovereign Uneiken in his deep, wise-sounding voice. Among the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns, he was one of Seia's favorites; the old machine-man was always willing to tell interesting stories—something the history-minded Seia appreciated very much—and was a very jolly, fun-loving sort with a passion for military history and technology and games of strategy.

"I have, Your Imperial Majesties," Orihime said. She glanced over to Seia for a second. Seia smiled back at her.

_You're doing fine, Orihime._

Orihime turned back to the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns and continued speaking. "I ultimately decided not to Remuran. From what I've heard you have much to teach people in the worlds I know. You look favorably at same-sex relationships and marriage. You embrace people of all kinds. These are all wonderful qualities, and I think my world needs more tolerance like that. But I also believe in equality, which I understand is looked down upon in your land. I don't want to live in a strictly stratified nation, even if I were accepted as an übermensch; I don't want to be treated as superior to other people, I want to be treated as equal. I'm sorry, but that's just how I feel."

Orihime looked in her direction again, and Seia gave her a sad smile. Orihime returned the smile. As the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns started talking quietly among themselves, Seia sighed. Even after living in Remuran for more than a century she still wasn't quite sure herself if she agreed with the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns' belief in übermensch and untermensch. Even so, the freedom Remuran did provide far outweighed any negatives she perceived, and she had no doubt that the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns would create a better replacement for Soul Society.

Seia was very fond of Orihime too, and she wanted to take the girl back to Remuran so much. But it wasn't her place to decide for Orihime; if she wanted to remain where she was then that was fine. The deal was Seia would educate her on Remuran and let Orihime decide for herself, and the decision was made.

_Orihime said she dreamed of me,_ Seia thought. That troubled her. Orihime couldn't have known about her "secret spot", yet she found it easily. Seia couldn't believe that Orihime just happened to have dreamed about someone only Tara and Suzuko knew about. There was only one logical explanation, and it disturbed her greatly.

The Exquisite Sovereigns finished their discussion, and Rubihatsu said, "_We appreciate you learning about our culture._" As far as Seia knew, the leader of the Exquisite Sovereigns was very gentlemanly and social, but Seia felt she didn't really know him all that well. She thought he was kind enough, but the man was a mystery to her.

"_And we appreciate your honesty very much,_" came the voice of Exquisite Sovereign Adou, another one she was very fond of. Adou was a lot of fun to be with and a warm-hearted person all around. She was also one of the most intelligent people Seia ever met.

"_But unfortunately it doesn't amount to anything,_" said Exquisite Sovereign Hetto.

Seia blinked, unsure if she heard the statement correctly.

"E-excuse me?" Orihime asked, as confused as Seia was. Seia felt a weird mixture of dread and guilty joy. Orihime was being taken to Remuran regardless? What had gone wrong? She knew it couldn't be a good thing, but part of Seia was perversely joyful at the prospect of Orihime being taken with them.

Seia noticed a pair of the black operatives carrying a small girl between them approach Orihime. They set the girl down on a chair close to Orihime. Seia recognized her as the shinigami they captured.

"Kuchiki?" Orihime said. So Orihime knew the shinigami.

"I lied," Kuchiki said blandly. "I was sent by Soul Society to stop the heipomian. I admit everything."

_So she's admitting she Soul Society willingly broke the treaty?_ Seia looked at the girl. She appeared to be in a state of shock, her eyes wide and her face slack. Seia had seen that look before, on the faces of people broken by Rireishi's clerics, the Dream Weavers. Tara must've been very forceful in getting the shinigami to tell the truth.

_Or maybe she just broke the girl and trained her to say something incriminating…_

"What? Why is Kuchiki here?" Orihime asked. Her eyes were large and frightened. She glanced at Seia, but Seia had no answers for her.

"_Miss Kuchiki confessed to her covert crimes a few hours before,_" said Exquisite Sovereign Rokki, the youngest yet one of the most powerful of the group. "_That means Soul Society broke the treaty and you'll be taken to us immediately!_ She sounded positively gleeful at the prospect. Rokki was one of the Exquisite Sovereigns that Seia wasn't too familiar with, but whatever she was really like, the girl sounded positively _hateful_ in her cheerful jeering.

Orihime grew more horrified. "What? No, I—"

"_Miss Ino'ue, you signed a binding and legal contract,_" said Rubihatsu. "_You assured me you understood the terms you were agreeing to. It was all there in the fine print. If you lied about reading it though, then I'm afraid I don't feel much sympathy for you._" Despite the mildly pitying tone of the emperor's voice, Seia found she couldn't shake from her imagination the image of Rubihatsu smiling unpleasantly behind his obscured image.

Instead of responding, Orihime moved swiftly to the shinigami. "Kuchiki, you didn't really try anything, did you?" Orihime asked. "Tell them you didn't!"

"I lied. I was sent by Soul Society to stop the heipomian. I admit everything," said Kuchiki in the same toneless voice. Orihime looked alarmed at this, and Seia's suspicion only grew further. It was becoming clear to her that there was never any intention of actually letting Orihime chose for herself.

"What's wrong with her?" Orihime demanded of the Exquisite Sovereigns. "What did you do to her!?"

"_Lady Niou needed to question her,_" Uneiken answered. "_It seems the shinigami's mind snapped under the questioning._"

"She was weak," Tara added nastily.

"And now she's out to lunch forever!" Suzuko crooned.

_Are you in on this too, Suzuko?_ Seia wondered.

"I lied. I was sent by Soul Society to stop the heipomian. I admit everything," Kuchiki repeated.

She saw Orihime lower her face, her teeth clenched.

"_It is regrettable,_" Adou said sadly, "_but Miss Kuchiki's welfare is not as important as your own, Miss Ino'ue. You're just more important than she is._"

"_Kuchiki's my friend!_" Orihime took Kuchiki's hand, angry tears now running down her face. Orihime's outburst shocked Seia. She never suspected the girl had such anger inside. She was proud of her, but it wasn't wise to yell at the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns.

"_You miserable little wench!_" the cruel, ancient voice of Exquisite Sovereign Getosa roared back. _How dare you presume to question us!?_"

Adou waved her hand at the vile old hag. "_Getosa, Getosa, please,_" she said in Emu. "_Calm yourself._"

Adou returned her attention to Orihime. "_Miss Ino'ue, would you accept taking Miss Kuchiki with you to Remuran? We can heal her and give her a new life in our land. What do you say?_"

Seia didn't doubt Adou's words; knowing the kind Exquisite Sovereign like she did (or thought she did anyway), Adou intended to keep her promise. But Seia didn't care; the Exquisite Sovereigns and Tara had been entirely dishonest, their contract with Orihime written solely to trap her. Seia couldn't let it go on any further. Her hand moved to Shoujahitsumetsu…

"You promise to return her to normal?" she heard Orihime ask. She seemed to have calmed down somewhat.

_You're so innocent and trusting, Orihime. I finally see that's why I love you so much now, surrounded for so many years by the scheming and cynicism of Remuran. But that innocence won't help you at all with the likes of the Exquisite Sovereigns._

"_That can be arranged,_" Rubihatsu said, his voice silky. "_We will prepare a contract. Just sign it and—_"

Seia unsheathed Shoujahitsumetsu and bounded over to Orihime in a single smooth movement. "_Make them weep, Shoujahitsumetsu!_" Seia yelled. Even as she moved, the blade melted away and began to replace itself with a long straight shaft of brilliant white light. The hilt straightened too, turning shiny and black.

"_Cover you eyes, Orihime!_" she yelled. She had no time to see if the girl did cover her eyes when Shoujahitsumetsu finished forming and released an explosion in a blinding flash of white light. Anyone holding Shoujahitsumetsu would be protected, but everyone else in the immediate area would suffer from the effects. For that reason Seia preferred to fight alone, and if she had to fight in a group she relied on kidou and zanjutsu instead of releasing Shoujahitsumetsu. That became even more important when she threw in her lot with Remuran; the blinding flash was bad enough to fellow shinigami, but it was excruciating against the light-sensitive an'uuto.

All around her, personal fell, clutching at their eyes. The lighted faded and Seia grabbed Orihime's arm. She was glad to see Orihime had followed her instructions and covered her eyes with one hand. With the other she had covered Kuchiki's.

"_Seia!?_" Tara screamed in Emu, her voice filled with pain. "_What are you doing!?_" It seemed she hadn't reacted in time to cover her own eyes. Good.

"_What is the meaning of this?_" Rubihatsu asked Seia in Emu.

"I must protest this decision!" Seia yelled. "Orihime Ino'ue did sign Your Imperial Majesty's contract, but the events were manipulated so she would be taken to Remuran regardless of her decision! You first tried to subtly manipulate her into wanting to go to Remuran, then used the captured shinigami by making her give a confession to claim the treaty was broken! You might as well have just taken her straight to Remuran from the beginning!"

"_These are some serious charges you're leveling,_"Adou said. "_Dou you have any evidence of this, Lady Kazama?_"

"Of course I don't!" Seia answered shrilly. "If you're dishonest enough to mess with Ino'ue than how can I trust you with evidence?"

"_Lady Kazama, please calm yourself,_" Uneiken requested, good humor in his voice.

"_Lady Kazama—Seia—c'mon, cut it out,_" Adou said. She had dropped the formal act, returning to her natural tone. "_We're friends, right? Let's talk about this back home. Come back with your new friend and take a nice holiday away from this war, okay?_"

Adou's voice was warm, friendly, even faintly pleading. She sounded genuinely worried about her. Was it possible she was wrong about everything? Was it all a coincidence that Orihime had to be taken to Remuran? Was she seeing patterns where none existed?

"Seia!" Suzuko cried. "What're you doing? Why'd you blind us?" Her voice was heartbreaking. Seia wondered how she could even begin to think she could do something so terrible to Suzuko and Tara.

Seia looked again at Orihime, still covering her eyes. She was shaking beside Kuchiki, clearly afraid. Seia felt her resolve return. Even if she was wrong, Orihime didn't want to go to Remuran. She had made her decision, and Seia was determined to make sure that decision was respected and upheld.

"Get ready to run," she whispered to Orihime. She didn't allow Orihime any time to prepare herself. She yanked Orihime along behind her, who in turn had taken hold of Kuchiki. It was awkward, but everyone had a good grip.

Seia ran from the room, her friend in tow. "_How can you do this to us?_" Tara screamed. Seia winced at her agonized voice but tried not to let it get to her.

* * *

Mayuri Kurotsuchi didn't know how his day could conceivably get any better. During the tiresome days of waiting to see what the an'uuto would do, he followed the Quincy's movements. It was pointless when he was speaking in that foreign language, but when he spoke to the other ryoka he gained many new insights. It was clear after a time that the ryoka were planning to go after Orihime Ino'ue and Rukia Kuchiki themselves. They sounded sure that those two were being held by Tara Niou herself. That was all Kurotsuchi needed to hear.

"If I follow them," he said to Nemu, "I may be lead straight to Niou! I can't miss this chance, nor can I allow anyone to harm Niou before I can meet her! It seems their treaty ends today and fighting will resume. We haven't heard from the an'uuto yet, but if the ryoka leave I'll go after them!"

"_We've got a situation here!_" the voice of Rin Tsubokura called over the intercom.

"Oh, what is it?" Kurotsuchi said irritably. He got up and moved to the other laboratories. The other researchers of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute were watching their monitors intently. Kurotsuchi looked down at one of the monitors. The readout told him that there were sudden drastic changes in the atmosphere. Thick dark clouds were forming seemingly out of nowhere all over Soul Society, blocking out the sun.

"How queer," Kurotsuchi observed dryly.

"Any ideas on this?" Akon asked.

Kurotsuchi thought for a moment. Dark clouds forming to block out the sun. From what he knew, the an'uuto could not tolerate sunlight…

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "It all makes sense now! That treaty of theirs and their attacks on Karakura Town were all just to distract us from their real objective, attacking Soul Society itself! They just needed some more time to make conditions more favorable for themselves, so they came up with that treaty to give them enough time to finish their weather altering. Now they can come march right in without any discomfort!"

"We'd better let Captain Yamamoto know about this!" Hiyosu advised.

"You can go tell him," Kurotsuchi said dismissively. He walked toward the door. "I have something more important to attend to."

* * *

It was time.

María had trained with Fenmuji and the heidushuijing until she was certain she was more than ready to return to Anheisi. The other guys had trained hard too beneath Urahara's shop.

When she had gotten up she sat at the edge of the bed. The window blinds were down, preventing any scorching natural sunlight to come in and burn her. She had just sat in the dark room beside Rangiku's form, thinking about everything that had happened leading up to that moment. She thought about her life and the people she had come to know.

_Is this the day I'm gonna die? Is everyone coming with me gonna die in the process? Will it all be for nothing?_

She shook her head, trying not to think negatively. If they were going to rescue Rukia Kuchiki and that other girl—Orihime Ino'ue wasn't it? María didn't even know what the other girl looked like—they couldn't afford to be weighed down by self-doubt. Besides, as long as she had the heidushuijing she likely would be all right.

But suppose they really did rescue the girls and get to be heroes. What then? Walk out and return home? Or were they really going to try to take Niou out?

Arms wrapped around María's waist and something soft pressed against her back. "Hey there," Rangiku murmured in her ear.

"Hey Rangiku," María answered.

"So today's gonna be the rescue." It was a statement, not a question.

"We'll get those girls back."

"Be careful."

"We will."

María took the heidushuijing from the bed stand. She turned it over in her hand, her distorted reflection looking back at her from the many facets.

Rangiku put a hand to María's shoulder. "I wanna go with you María. I don't care if my captain forbids me—the treaty ends today anyway, so it doesn't matter if it ends a little early."

"No!" María objected. "I can't risk putting you in danger like that."

"María, I'm a shinigami lieutenant," Rangiku pointed out. "I didn't get to where I am by being weak."

María realized Rangiku had an excellent point. Still, she didn't feel totally comfortable with the idea. She didn't think Rangiku was about to be persuaded otherwise though.

The rest of the day went by quickly. As soon as she could, María slipped out of the mansion and ran out to Urahara's shop, a big coat protecting her from the sun. She found Kurosaki, Sado, Ishida, and Hoshi waiting there.

"Are we all ready?" Ishida asked.

"No," María answered. "Rangiku wants to come too. Just wait for her to show up."

A few tense moments passed, and soon Rangiku came running up too. Behind her was Renji Abarai. Rangiku waved to them. "Hey guys! Wait for us!"

Rangiku and Renji came to a halt before the assembled group. "I caught Rangiku sneaking out," Abarai explained. "When she told me what was going on I wanted in on the action. I wanna save Rukia too! It's not right that we have to sit by because of some fake treaty!"

María nodded. "Great. The more the better. Anyone else coming or does anyone want to back out? This is gonna be really dangerous."

"I don't want to be here," Hoshi grumbled. "While I don't like that Remuran's poking its nose where it doesn't belong, I don't wanna go outta my way to make them angry. But Ishida wants to go and I can't in good conscience just let him run off on his own."

"I'm not standing around a minute longer while Ino'ue and Rukia are prisoners," Kurosaki stated. "Let's get them back and end this whole mess."

"I think it's safe to say we're all going," observed Sado.

María swallowed. "Okay." She pulled the heidushuijing out and raised it. She focused on Hueco Mundo and Anheisi. Her will tapped into the power contained in the black crystal, augmenting her own power with its. It was like a raindrop suddenly merging with a puddle.

The air rent itself, tearing to form a twisted maw. Beyond the jaws was a swirling chaos of darkness. Even as she watched, the darkness calmed down and smoothed itself out, forming a long tunnel.

"This is Garganta, isn't it?" Abarai asked.

"It's the heipomian version," María answered. "We call it 'Anheiqiang'. Just step inside."

She hopped through and landed within the tunnel. With a lurch the floor was moving her forward. She heard the others start to come through behind her.

_This is it. There's no turning back now…_

* * *

Tara's vision had just about returned, but her eyes still hurt. Worse though was the feeling of betrayal weighing heavily in her heart. Seia had turned against her without any warning at all, and for what? Some human girl; a pretty one to be sure, but there were a thousands more in Remuran who were prettier if Seia needed some variety. How could Seia just stab her and Suzuko in the back like that?

"_Can you see again now, Lady Niou?_" asked Adou. She sounded worried about her.

"Well enough now," Tara said curtly.

"_If you can see now then please retrieve Ino'ue and Kazama for us,_" Rubihatsu said.

A sick feeling spread through Tara's stomach when she heard the order. If Rubihatsu was requesting her to have Seia brought to him then Seia's future was most assuredly dire.

"Wait, Exquisite Sovereign Rubihatsu! Please, just let me talk this out with Seia!" she pleaded. "I'll punish her myself, but I beg of you, let her live!"

"_No,_" Rubihatsu uttered with grim finality. "_Bring them both to me this instant._"

"_Isn't this awfully harsh, Rubihatsu?_" Adou asked. "_Kazama's been such a valuable member, and Nouhara and Lady Niou love her so much._"

"_That is why it pains me so much to order this,_" Rubihatsu said. "_But if we find Kazama guilty of treason then she will be dealt with in the harshest way possible._"

Tara's feeling of sickness increased. Seia wasn't going to be executed; she was going to be _tortured_ for the rest of her existence.

_This isn't happening…_

"I've just been informed the preparations for Soul Society's invasion have finished, Lady Niou," Dr. Hotsuyoku said. "We need to start the invasion!"

Tara wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. Why did she have to insist on leading the Soul Society operation rather than just advising it? Really, she wasn't even all _that_ angry with Soul Society any more. If she had just left the operation to Dehatsu from the start she could still be home in Remuran, sleeping between Seia and Suzuko, happily oblivious to the fact there were girls named Orihime Ino'ue. If there was anyone she wanted to strike dead that very second, it would be Ino'ue.

"Lady Niou," Dehatsu said, still smirking hatefully. Didn't he ever stop? "I need to bring to your attention some intruders have been spotted approaching Anheisi. Seven of them."

"Just kill them. Why are you telling me this?" Tara asked bitterly.

"Because I've been told the person leading the intruders is someone named María Susana," Dehatsu said casually. "Does that name mean anything to you?"

Tara wasn't sure if she heard correctly. "Did you say 'María Susana'?" she asked.

"Yes, I said a name like that," he responded in a faintly mocking tone.

The fugitive they had been looking for coming back to them on her own. It was just too funny; Tara began to giggle, then guffaw madly.

"Tara?" Suzuko asked worriedly.

"_Susana just comes back to us!_" Tara laughed. "_Isn't that funny?_"

"_Get a hold of yourself, Lady Niou,_" Rubihatsu said firmly.

His voice cut through her mind, snapping her back to reality. "Yes, Exquisite Sovereign Rubihatsu. I apologize."

She reflected on the issues at hand for a second before making her decision. Tara stepped forward, a picture of authority. "Suzuko, Field Marshal Dehatsu, Bowie Stardust; take the soldiers and half of the hya'an'uuto to Soul Society to commence the invasion. The rest of us will remain here until Ino'ue, Kazama, Susana, and the intruders are apprehended. When they are dealt with we will join you. Susana may have the heidushuijing with her, in which case our victory over Soul Society is all but assured."

Suzuko perked up with the return of Tara's confidence. "Yes, we won't fail you Tara!"

"Very well then." Dehatsu made an exaggerated bow to her.

Tara turned to Suzuko. "Oh, and take Kagemaru with you. Let him rampage to his heart's content in Soul Society."

Suzuko's eyes sparkled. "Really? Oh, he'll be ever so happy! I'll go get him!"

Tara watched her leave. "_This is excellent, Lady Niou,_" Rubihatsu said. "_I would like to add that my son be released. He may be very useful._"

Tara didn't like the idea of letting Resu go free, but he _was_ quite powerful. If María was using the heidushuijing skillfully then Resu's aid might very well be needed.

"Very well," she said to the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns. "I shall not fail you." She looked over at the assembled heipomian and pointed at Teatime Osbourne. "You, Osbourne, come with me."

She strode purposefully out of the room, Osbourne lopping apelike beside her, as the others organized behind her.

* * *

María and the others were deposited at the top of a sandy hill overlooking Anheisi. It was so weird looking down at the large black fortress with a few tents and large fungus-like growths surrounding it; she had tried so hard to get away from the place a while ago. Now she was willfully going back there to rescue some people she barely even knew. Looking at it more closely though, she noticed something felt wrong about the place.

"We're here," she said, "but something's wrong. I don't see any guards."

"Do you think it's a trap?" Ishida asked.

"I don't think so," she answered. "I think something's going on that has the guards distracted."

"I'll go take a look," Abarai volunteered. He ran down the hill, up to the heavy door to Anheisi, and stood around with his zanpakutou drawn. Moments passed and nothing happened. He started waving to them, and the group ran down to meet with him.

"It seems to be safe," he said. "You don't think they all left, do you?"

"I hope not," María said.

Kurosaki drew his zanpakutou. "Let's do this," he said. "_Getsuga Tenshou!_" He pulled it back then swung forward, a glowing crescent of compressed reiryoku being released from the blade. Getsuga Tenshou sliced into the thick door and exploded, forcing the door open.

Everyone scrambled inside. They passed through a large entrance room and into another chamber with eight doors.

"Oh, great," Ishida griped. "I thought this ridiculous cliché only existed in fiction."

María grimaced. "The place was designed to confuse potential intruders. Most of us needed soldiers to guide us through Anheisi. If we could capture a soldier we could force him to take us through, but if there were soldiers they'd have shown up by now."

"But will these doors all take us to the same place eventually?" Kurosaki asked.

María thought about it for a moment before answering, "Potentially, I guess."

"Let's just slit up and each take a door then," Kurosaki suggested.

"I'm really sure that's what they want us to do!" Ishida snapped. "They'll have an easier time picking us off if we're separated."

"We can go in teams," said Rangiku. "I'll go with María, Uryuu and Mion can go together, Chad and Renji can team up, and…Oh right, Ichigo wouldn't have anyone."

Kurosaki shouldered his released zanpakutou. "That's fine," he said. "I can handle myself."

María didn't feel like arguing and she had no better suggestions. "All right, fine. Let's pick our doors then."

Rangiku pointed at the door to the left of the centermost door, the one they were standing closest to. She walked up and pulled the door open. It was dark beyond.

"Here goes nothing," she said. María and Rangiku took off running into the unknown.

* * *

Suzuko looked up at the black clouds flooding the sky of Soul Society. It cheered her up a little, reminding her of home.

_Well, actually Soul Society used to be my home and I moved to Remuran later. So coming here should remind me of home because it _was_ home at one time. I like Remuran better though because the sun doesn't burn me. Oh wait, I wasn't born an an'uuto; Tara turned me into one. So the sun burns me, but it didn't used to burn me when I lived in Soul Society, not at first anyway. _

It dawned on Suzuko that for being gone for so many years it seemed nothing had changed. The outer reaches of Rukongai were as wretched as they had ever been, and her anger swelled; even after all that time no one improved anything? This made Seia's sudden betrayal more baffling still to her; didn't Seia want to bring down Soul Society for its injustices?

_Seia…_ Sadness threatened to drag Suzuko's spirits down thinking about her friend and lover. She tried to tell herself Tara would catch her and give her some choice words. Then Seia would say she was sorry and everyone would laugh and make up. But it wasn't going to be like that, was it? It made Suzuko very sad.

She turned around. "Hey Kagemaru? Do you think everything's gonna be okay?"

Kagemaru didn't answer.

A swift wind blew past her, and Field Marshal Dehatsu appeared on the roof of a small building close by. "What's this place called again, Lady Nouhara?" he asked her. He was turning his head this way and that, observing the landscape.

"This is Zaraki, a district of Rukongai," Suzuko answered. Her voice was melancholy. It sounded strange to her; she was normally so happy. Tara told her that her smile always made everyone else happy; if she frowned would everyone become unhappy? She'd better start smiling again, just in case.

"This must be what the Exquisite Sovereigns were talking about when they told me Soul Society was an institution that needed to be razed and rebuilt from the ground up," Dehatsu said. He looked down at her.

"We're kinda the same, you and me," he said. "We both turned against a might-and-mighty arrogant empire. You're really striking back your old home though; the time hasn't come yet for me to do the same for my old home. I suppose I don't need to do it that much, I mean, what happened happened. But the other two field marshals and the grand marshal would very much like to totally obliterate our old home, and I guess I'd help them do it. It doesn't mean any thing to me."

"Yeah," Suzuko answered. "I guess we are kinda similar. People have mentioned before how our story's a little like yours and the other guys."

He jumped down and landed gracefully next to her. "After studying the situation, I propose we march straight to the nearest gate to Seireitei, bust through, and sweep through."

"You're awfully cocky," Suzuko said.

"Of course," he replied. "Zanpakutou, beautiful as they are, won't be much defense against our magic and firearms."

"Shinigami are tougher than you might think," Suzuko warned. "But let's hurry—I don't wanna hurt too many people in Rukongai."

"Of course," Dehatsu said silkily. "It wouldn't do for our future subjects to hate us too much."

* * *

"So good of you to visit me, Lady Niou."

Tara fought back her revulsion. "Your father gave the order to release you. We might need your help in capturing Ino'ue and subduing some intruders."

Resu smiled infuriatingly at her. "I know; he told me you would be releasing me."

Tara deactivated the lock and the door slid soundlessly open. Resu got up and left the little cell, stretching his arms above his head. "That feels good," he sighed.

"Listen," Tara said to him, "your father now considers Ino'ue more important than the artifact so we need to find her and take her in unharmed. Don't even _think_ of harming her, although right now I would just love to see you rape her to death."

He raised an eyebrow. "Upset over something, Lady Niou?"

"Yes," she answered darkly. "Very upset."

* * *

"Seia! Seia!" Orihime cried. "I can't run any more!"

Seia was about to protest when she realized that Anheisi seemed deserted now. _That's right, the invasion was to begin today. Even this trouble I've caused won't make them deviate from schedule._

Seia skidded to a halt and looked around. "Okay, let's stop here," she said. "Everyone must've left for the invasion of Soul Society."

Orihime dropped to her knees and gasped for breath. Seia watched her, then looked to Kuchiki. Without Orihime holding her any more the girl had collapsed to the floor, like a discarded doll.

"I lied. I was sent by Soul Society to stop the heipomian. I admit everything," she continued to say robotically.

Orihime painfully moved to Kuchiki's side. "I have to help her," she said.

"You can do that?" Seia asked.

Instead of answering, Orihime placed her hands over the motionless form. "_Souten Kisshun, I reject,_" she uttered. Seia thought she saw two glowing sparks fly out of Orihime's hairpins. Suddenly a gold covering appeared over Kuchiki's figure with a humming sound.

"I've only done this with wounds," Orihime said. "I don't know how well it'll work with Kuchiki like this, but I have to try!"

Seia watched silently. Moments passed and Kuchiki jerked under the glowing covering. Orihime gasped and moved back, and Kuchiki sat up, rubbing her head. Her eyes moved about, taking in her location.

"What's going on here?" She looked behind her to see Orihime. "Ino'ue?"

"_Kuchiki!_" Orihime, tears pouring down her cheeks, embraced Kuchiki tightly. Kuchiki looked startled, but slowly returned the embrace. Seia had to smile at Orihime's unbridled happiness. Orihime really was an infectious person; her mood effected everyone's mood.

"I thought you were gone forever," Orihime sobbed. "But I brought you back! You're normal again! But I couldn't have done it without Seia's help."

"Seia?" Kuchiki asked. For the first time she noticed the tall former shinigami standing with them. She was visibly startled to see her, Seia was amused to note.

"Ino'ue, isn't Kazama our enemy?"

"She's helping us escape," Orihime explained.

"Orihime didn't want to be taken to Remuran," Seia said. "My superiors cheated and tried to take her anyway when I thought they should honor Orihime's decision."

"Oh," Kuchiki said.

"We have to get out of here!" Orihime said, remembering their predicament. "Seia said Soul Society may be invaded!"

"What!?" Kuchiki shouted. "We need to return there immediately!"

"No," Seia stated flatly. "I'm not going anywhere near Soul Society. I'm taking Orihime to a safe place so we can hide out until I think of a more permanent plan. Circumstances may have forced me to turn against my allies, but my opinion of Soul Society hasn't changed!"

Kuchiki glowered at her. "Well, I thank you for rescuing us, but I see you're not going to help much further—"

Reiatsu, heavy and oppressive, washed over them, shutting Kuchiki up. Seia immediately recognized the spiritual signature. "_Tara,_" she hissed. She turned to Orihime and Kuchiki, her face deadly serious. "Kuchiki, get Orihime out of here right now! I'll hold Tara off for you."

"No Seia!" Orihime pleaded. "We'll escape together!"

"If we run she'll just catch all of us," Seia stated bluntly. "She needs to be stalled, and Kuchiki won't last long enough up against her. Now go and don't stop until you're out of the building! Everything we did just now will be for nothing if she catches you!"

Kuchiki nodded grimly to her and took Orihime's wrist. The human girl had begun to cry again. "Please come back safe," she whispered.

Seia smiled back. "I will," she told her with all the confidence she didn't actually have.

Orihime and Kuchiki took off running. Seia watched them go, then turned around and walked forward. She could feel Tara's reiatsu up ahead, growing stronger. Seia flung a door open in front of her and entered a large chamber. It was the place where promising hollows were turned into heipomian. Standing at the top of a raised area was Tara Niou.

Seia's already flimsy resolve all but crumbled away in Tara's presence, but she conjured an image of Orihime being dragged away screaming. Knowing such a fate was in store for her new lover if she didn't do something, she stepped forward toward Tara.

"Tara," she said quietly.

"Seia," Tara answered back, equally quiet. "Where is Ino'ue?"

Seia defiantly remained silent.

"I'll ask again. Where is Ino'ue?"

"I'm not handing her over, Tara," Seia said.

"Why are you doing this?" Tara asked, her stoic façade cracking. "You're ruining everything! Talk to that girl, tell her that it will be okay in Remuran! She'll be happy there!"

"Orihime was asked if she wanted to go to Remuran. She was given three days to make a decision. She made her decision, and you can't change that," Seia said.

"But you _love_ each other now!" Tara argued. "Ino'ue will be happy to be with you, and don't you want to be with her? I don't mind if you fall in love with someone new as long as you still love me!"

"_She doesn't love me!_" Seia yelled. Tears welled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "She only _thinks_ she loves me because you tricked her!"

She pointed accusingly at her lover. "You gave her the dreams about me, didn't you? Making Orihime think she was in love with me by forcing her to dream of me! You're a Dream Weaver! It's well within your power to do so! You hoped that if Orihime fell in love with me that she would happily follow me to Remuran, and if that failed you broke Kuchiki's mind and programmed her to admit to breaking the treaty."

Tara sighed. "That's correct, Seia," she admitted. "You figured it out; even with your beauty, your most attractive feature is your intelligence. But there's a little more to it than that. You see, I was doing it for your benefit. I knew you were smitten with Ino'ue—I regularly check what you and Suzuko are dreaming about—and she got along well with you. It was the most logical choice to point her in your direction."

Tara herself began to cry. "Can't you see? I did it to make you happy! I wasn't hurting Ino'ue, and both of you would be happy together!"

"But it's not _right!_" Seia countered. "You can't just play with people's emotions to make them fall in love with who you choose! It doesn't work that way!"

"If it furthers the greater good then anything is justified!" Tara shouted back.

Seia stepped back, her eyes wide and trembling. "The Tara I fell in love with would never say that," she whispered.

"That's because the Tara you fell in love with was foolish idealist, naïve as to how life really worked," Tara laughed bitterly. "It took a man like Rubihatsu, who understands how life works, to teach that good is only possible when you're willing to do evil, and that any deed can be excused if used to further a great cause! If you weren't so busy obsessing over the past then you would understand that by now!"

Tara clenched her hands. "If history taught me anything," she stated, "it's that the worst of tyrants and dictators make the same excuses. What does that say about Rubihatsu and the rest of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns?"

"It explains why Remuran is the greatest of all nations in the World of Darkness," Tara said. "The Exquisite Sovereigns were more ruthless than the other leaders, and we have to be ruthless like them to make Soul Society a better place!"

"I will never abandon my morals for power like that!" Seia shouted. She reached for Shoujahitsumetsu but her fingers never even so much as touched the hilt. She found her arm behind painfully bent back by something incredibly strong. She cried out in pain, and realized that Tara was no longer standing in front of her.

"Remember when we had our operations?" Tara whispered in her ear. "Well I didn't just have a new set of sex organs added. After talking at length with Hetto, we devised a plan for a full-body enhancement. My speed and strength were augmented many times over."

Seia's heart beat rapidly. This was the end; there was nothing she could do now but hope Orihime and her friend escaped to safety. She swallowed loudly.

Tara suddenly spun Seia around to face her, Seia's back now to the raised area Tara was standing just a moment before. She drew Shoujahitsumetsu and flung it away. "I had hoped we would be together forever, Seia," Tara said softly. She then embraced Seia lovingly, their full breasts pressing together. Even in Seia's current predicament, the familiar warmth and softness of Tara's body felt very nostalgic, reminding her of all the wonderful times they shared together. "But I see now you don't want to be with me any more."

Seia wasn't surprised by the pain of cold steel being stabbed into her side. She could only step away from Tara, clutching the wound in her left side. She looked sadly into Tara's violet eyes.

"It's better this way, Seia," Tara said impassively. She brought the bloodstained blade of Narakuhi up and before Seia could blink her throat was sliced open. Hot blood gushed like a fountain from the fatal wound. Seia was coldly aware that she could no longer breathe properly.

"It's better to die at my hands than it is to suffer at Rubihatsu's," Tara finished. Seia stumbled back, the back of her feet hitting something, knocking her backward. She fell onto the steps to the raised area, looking helpless up at Tara. Her lover looked down at her, silent tears flowing from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Tara," she said, her voice now a sob. "Whatever you think of me now, I will always love you."

Even as she laid there, her blood seeping out, Seia felt comfort from Tara's last words. Her vision was fading, and she let her head rest on the steps. She felt a sense of peace as her eyes closed. _I love you too, Seia, and I love Suzuko. I'm sorry it turned out this way. And I love you Orihime. I'm sorry that I lied to you…_

* * *

Orihime was beginning to think it was hopeless; no matter what door she and Kuchiki passed through there was just another room beyond. Anheisi seemed to stretch on forever. It was like the most irritating nightmare come to life: a labyrinth of bland stone rooms with no exit.

As they ran Orihime suddenly came to a halt in a small room. She couldn't believe it! She had to be sure…

"Ino'ue! What's wrong?" Kuchiki demanded. She too came to a stop.

"I feel Kurosaki!" Orihime exclaimed. "I feel his presence! We need to find him so he can help Seia!"

As if on cue, the next door flew open with a bang and Ichigo Kurosaki can thundering in. His eyes landed on the two girls and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ino'ue? Rukia?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"_Kurosaki!_" Orihime launched herself at Kurosaki and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his chest and wept with joy. "_I'm so glad you're here!_"

"Ichigo?" Kuchiki asked. "When did you get here?"

"Just a little while ago," Kurosaki said. Orihime didn't notice his embarrassment over her being so emotional toward him. "Me, Ishida, Chad, Renji, Rangiku, Susana, and Hoshi are all here to rescue you."

"Well call them up and tell them to get us to Soul Society!" Kuchiki yelled. "Soul Society is being invaded as we speak! There's no time to lose!"

Orihime looked up. "_No!_" she cried. "We can't leave Seia! Kuchiki, you should go, but Kurosaki needs to help Seia! She's fighting with Tara Niou and she needs help! _Please,_ Kurosaki!"

Kurosaki looked bewildered, but he nodded. "Sure Ino'ue." He looked to Kuchiki. "Rukia, go help find the others. I'll stay with Ino'ue."

Kuchiki nodded in response. "Got it." She turned and ran through the door Kurosaki just came through.

"So where is this Seia?" Kurosaki asked.

"Up this way!" Orihime said. "We just have to backtrack through the open doors."

They ran through the door she and Kuchiki came through earlier and into a long hallway. A few steps in and the door slammed shut behind them. "I don't like the sound of that," Kurosaki said.

High, boyish laughed echoed through the hall. A figure in a furry white coat appeared at the other end of the hallway and closed the door behind it. "Well, well, well, long time no see, Princess Piglet."

"Prince Resu," Orihime gasped. The absolute last person she wanted to see slowly walked toward them, passing a deck of playing cards form hand to hand as he did. He shuffled the cards into his left hand and pointed toward Kurosaki with his right.

"I remember you. From that one night, was it? One of Princess Piglet's friends?"

Kurosaki moved protectively in front of Orihime and brought his zanpakutou out. "You're not gonna lay a hand on her."

"The belligerent type, I see," Resu said. "Well I suppose I'll just have to carve you up before getting to Piglet."

He flicked his wrist. Orihime felt something whiz by just above her head, and something warm landed on her face. Then Kurosaki gasped in surprised pain. His right shoulder was bleeding from a deep, thin wound.

_About as thin as a…playing card!_

Resu laughed. "Surprised, aren't you? Let's see how it takes for me to remove all of your extremities, shall we?"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File** _

**Basic An'uuto Spells**

Andan (暗弾 (アンダン) _Andan_, _lit_. dark bolt) is an offensive spell where a number of bullet-sized projectiles of dark energy are fired rapidly from the tips of the index and middle fingers while placed together.

Gaigai (界々 (ガイガイ) _Gaigai_, _lit_. worlds) is a teleportation spell. It can only take the user to a location the user has physically been to.

Hetoshan (黒閃 (ヘトシャン), _Hetoshan_, _lit_. black flash) is an offensive spell where a powerful blast of concentrated dark energy is discharged, usually from the palm of the hand. It looks very similar to the hollow technique Cero.

Remudan (影弾 (レムダン), _Remudan_, _lit_. shadow bolt) is an offensive spell where a sphere of dark energy is formed, usually in the palm of the hand, and discharged as a projectile.

* * *

_Author's note: I wish I had more spells to put here, but I can't think of any more at the moment. Maybe some more will be her for a later update._


	19. Reign in Blood

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

_Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**19. ****レイン・イン・ブラッド**

**19. Reign in Blood**

Pasatsu Hotsuyoku watched the intruders scurrying about through Anheisi on the security monitors. He nervously drummed his fingers on the desk. The unlikely combination of humans, shinigami, and an'uuto were effortlessly cutting their way through the hordes of hya'an'uuto left to guard the fortress. The hordes were just there to soften the intruders up for the heipomian warriors, but Pasatsu was having doubts about the whole project.

Shortly before the heidushuijing was stolen, Lady Niou had captured a few live arrancar and had them sent to Remuran for experimentation. Pasatsu had only shortly before received the data of the recent arrancar experiments, and it seemed the heipomian were inferior in many ways. It had been determined by Exquisite Sovereign Adou and Exquisite Sovereign Hetto that the heipomian were merely gaiza hollows; a true arrancar was a hollow that had acquired shinigami powers. For a true an'uuto/hollow creation the literal barriers between hollows and an'uuto needed to be broken down, creating something closer to a true arrancar. As it was, the heipomian were trapped in an uncomfortable middle between an arrancar and a true shinigami, without the full power of either.

Pasatsu caught something new out of the corner of his eye. The sunjinza, Orihime Ino'ue, and a human male were moving close to the location of Prince Resu. Pasatsu smiled grimly and began imputing the commands to lock down the room once the humans entered with Prince Resu. Maybe the heipomian were failures and the prince was counted among the weakest, least experienced of Emperor Rubihatsu's progeny, but even so Prince Resu was significantly more powerful than the average shamuan'uuto. Even if the invasion of Soul Society failed and the artifact left behind, they could still secure the spark. Given that the artifact would not be going anywhere and it was highly unlikely the shinigami would discover it, the sunjinza's retrieval commanded higher priority.

"And here we go," Pasatsu whispered as he commenced the lockdown. The other intruders raced on to encounter their fates.

* * *

"_Growl, Haineko!_"

"_Dig, Fenmuji!_"

Faced with the strange assortment of monsters, Rangiku unleashed Haineko's deadly ash in a wide arc. The fat little creatures, the evil dogs, and the inky black things were mercilessly slashed. Satisfied with the damage she caused, Rangiku glanced over to see María flipping through the air, her zanpakutou transformed into a spade. As before, her hands had become lethal talons, but for the first time Rangiku noticed that her feet had changed the same way. María executed a flurry of swiping kicks and blows, her spade spinning around in a deadly circle. Everything around her fell to pieces.

_Look at that!_ she marveled. María was magnificent while fighting. Seeing her like that really got her heart pumping.

Rangiku sealed Haineko and surveyed the dead monsters lying around them. "Whew! I'm sure glad you didn't use any of those skills on me when we almost fought," she remarked. "You would've given me a lot of trouble."

"No way!" María countered. "With that ash attack of yours I woulda been in pieces if it had so much as touched me. Your zanpakutou can attack in close-quarters and over a distance. I can only attack close-quarters."

"But you're so nimble and agile," Rangiku pointed out. "You can close a distance really quickly and strike a killing blow. I couldn't touch you in a million years." She smiled broadly at her. "Besides, you're so damn sexy when you fight."

María blushed and returned a shy smile.

"I told you same thing."

Rangiku whirled around. Further down the hallway was the familiar muscular figure of Alba Wolf. Beside her was a slender boy Rangiku didn't recognize. She immediate drew Haineko again.

"Alba. Estrella," María whispered gravely.

"Remember that, María?" Alba asked. "I though you were a much more elegant fighter than I."

"Yeah," María answered guardedly. "I remember." Her expression was pained, but resolute.

"You were so happy I complimented you," Alba went on nostalgically. She smiled sadly. Rangiku saw tears were forming at the corners of Alba's eyes. "I knew then that I was falling for you. It was wrong for a teacher to have that sort of relationship with a disciple, but we seemed destined for each other!"

"Alba, stop it," María said quietly. "I don't wanna hurt you guys, but I will if you try to stop me. I've got the heidushuijing; I can blow up the entire Anheisi if I feel like it."

Rangiku hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

"But you won't blow up Anheisi," Alba said. "Not while we're still in it. You're not cold-blooded enough. That's why you didn't raise through the ranks."

María scowled.

Alba glanced over at Rangiku. "I take it this Soul Society cow your lover now? How disgusting. You'd really sink to those depths?"

Rangiku decided it was better to keep quiet and let María handle the talking.

María glared at her ex-girlfriend. Her reiatsu suddenly spiked, radiating from her body in a pulsing black aura. The boy, the one María had addressed as Estrella, backed away, a looked of awed fear on his face. Alba's eyes were narrowed venomously at María but she didn't advance. Rangiku didn't blame either of them for being frightened; she was scared too. Back when María first explained to her about the heidushuijing María claimed the crystal could destroy all of Soul Society. As Rangiku watched an eerie black light spill from inside María's clothes she wondered how much power her lover was drawing from the evil little crystal. She estimated María's reiatsu would soon surpass her own.

"Ask yourselves," María said in a deadly tone, "is it really worth it to die for someone who doesn't give a shit about you?"

"I don't care what Lady Niou thinks of us," Alba shot back. "As long as she destroys all the shinigami I'll do what she says."

Alba's massive zanpakutou flashed in a decapitating downward arc. María only narrowly dodged to the left, the huge sword shattering the floor upon impact. Alba's face twisted into a furious snarl that chilled Rangiku's blood.

"_Even if that means killing you, María!_" she hissed.

With astonishing speed, beyond even what Rangiku witnessed just moments before, María swung Fengmuji out, the sharp spade striking across Alba's upper right breast. A thin line appeared and blood trickled out. Alba's expression changed from rage to shock.

"She cut you…" Estrella pointed out, astonished.

_And her reiatsu just keeps on increasing!_ Rangiku marveled. _That heidushuijing really is something. I couldn't even bruise Alba._

Alba leapt back away from María, landing beside Estrella. She put her free hand to her wound and scowled. "So you're strong enough to cut me a little now. Fine." She raised her zanpakutou before her. Estrella mimicked the action. "We'll go all out! _Shine, Yueguangfeng!_"

"_Tear, Lianzhizhu!_" Estrella intoned.

Rangiku watched silently as the two opposing heipomian transformed. First their zanpakutou changed, Alba's splitting into a pair of massive curved broadswords, Estrella's becoming a similar but much smaller cleaver-like blade with a wire hilt. Estrella's back split open in four places, and curved blades erupted from the splits. The blades grew out, revealing themselves to be attached to other blades attached by hinges. The blades continued snaking out until they were more than twice as long as Estrella's height.

_It's like spider legs made from scythe blades,_ Rangiku observed.

Alba's transformation was even more drastic. A white liquid oozed from her pores, completely covering her head. The liquid formed itself into a horned, wolfish hollow mask, fangs barred savagely. Blue fur grew out over her arms, sides, and back, leaving her hands, chest, and stomach untouched. Her single plait of hair exploded into a wild, shaggy ponytail emerging from the back of her mask. A similar shock of wild hair emerged from her backside, becoming a tail.

Estrella's scythe legs dragged him as the straightened, leaving his body to dangle from them. Alba hunched over, her breathing now heavy and labored. Their reiatsu were much higher, but then again, so was María's.

María thrust Fengmuji forward. "I warned you guys."

Rangiku moved to María's side. "_Growl, Haineko!_" she ordered. If nothing else, she was going to fight along side her lover.

* * *

"I have confirmed," said Commander-General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai dourly, "that the ryoka have managed to enter, and may have already breeched Seireitei."

"Already?" asked Captain Juushirou Ukitake, astonished. "How could they have worked so quickly?"

"Intelligence indicates that they plowed straight through Rugongai to South Shuwaimon," the ancient shinigami stated. "Without a strong replacement gatekeeper it is likely the ryoka will enter Seireitei shortly, if they haven't already."

Captain Byakuya Kuchiki remained silent. His façade was as icy as usual, but for the past few days his emotions had been in a violent turmoil. Those ryoka, those…_an'uuto_…had taken Rukia away, and because of their treaty nothing could be done. It had been reported that Rukia had attacked first and that should have ended the treaty, but the an'uuto informed Captain Hitsugaya's group that Rukia technically didn't break the treaty but they would still hold her as a prisoner for her actions.

_Already she has been imprisoned again._

There had been no word of how Rukia was being treated, no word on what was happening with her. Every moment since he had heard of her imprisonment his thoughts were of her, his pride. It had not been long enough since he had apologized to her for choosing the rules of his house over her life; what would he do if she were to perish? Now that the new enemy had dropped all pretense of desiring peace he had a chance to go look for Rukia, but he would need to learn where she was being kept.

"Captain Kuchiki!" Genryuusai's voice cut through his thoughts. Byakuya impassively met the commander-general's stern gaze.

"Yes, Commander-General?"

"The 6th Division and the 2nd Division shall defend South Shuwaimon from the ryoka. Engage and subdue them until the situation has ended. Do I make myself clear?"

Byakuya bristled inwardly. His chance at retrieving Rukia had just been dashed by Genryuusai's order. He had no doubt it had been on purpose; the old man did not want the situation to be personal for him. Byakuya had to admit it was likely for the best.

"Understood, Commander Genryuusai."

"Very well. Dismissed."

Byakuya headed for the door, Captain Suifeng and her lieutenant beside him. It pained him to admit it but it seemed Rukia's only hope now was that uncouth substitute shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Oh boy!" exclaimed Marechiyo Oomaeda when they were outside. He stuffed some senbei into his large mouth before resuming his words. "We get to see the ryoka first! I was wondering what these an'uuto things look like." Crumbs flew from his mouth every time he opened it, much to Byakuya's disgust.

A pair of jigokuchou fluttered over, one to Byakuya and the other to Suifeng. "_Your orders, Captain?_" it asked. The one with Suifeng asked the same.

"Head to South Shuwaimon and engage the ryoka," he said. "I'll meet you there."

"_Already there, Captain! The 2__nd__ Division has just arrived too! South Shuwaimon has been damaged and something is causing a din from behind it._"

"So they haven't broken through yet," Oomaeda observed.

"_South Shuwaimon just exploded and collapsed!_" the shinigami speaking through the jigokuchou informed breathlessly. "_The ryoka are coming in!_"

Byakuya nodded to Suifeng and Oomaeda. Under the black clouds, they ran forward. Suifeng effortlessly moved past Byakuya and Oomaeda, becoming a blur. "Hey, wait for me, Captain!" Oomaeda wheezed.

Byakuya frowned as he ran. He felt massive amounts of reiryoku up ahead, most of it with an alien coldness._ So these are the people who captured Rukia_, he thought. He could hear sounds of battle and screams, and smoke could be seen rising beyond the buildings in front of them.

A few more leaps and bounds, and they were on a rooftop over-looking the area before South Shuwaimon. A wall of black-clad soldiers were standing around South Shuwaimon, firing rapid beams of light into shinigami that came at them, mostly the members of the 6th Division. The members of the 2nd Division were fast enough to avoid most of the fire, and some of the black soldiers would engage them with swords. The shinigami were numerically superior, but the ryoka soldiers were well armored and generally had a distance advantage. Only the shinigami with long-distance zanpakutou and skill in kidou were at all effective. The members of the Onmitsukidou were doing better, being able to move in quickly enough to directly attack the invaders. The Onmitsukudou were catching the ryoka off-guard with their swift attacks.

"It looks like we can push them back with some effort," Suifeng observed.

Byakuya agreed, as far as he could see. A huge surge of alien reiryoku blasted through the battlefield, and the next thing he knew, many of the Onmitsukidou were flung violently away. Some members jumping into the fray were slashed at by something he couldn't see.

"Whoa! What's going on?" Oomaeda asked.

Before anyone could answer him, three figures appeared right in the middle of the battlefield. There was a well-built masked man with a long black queue, a short young woman with a curvaceous figure, and a tall slim young man with white-feathered wings. The woman and masked man were holding what were unmistakably zanpakutou. In fact, as far as Byakuya could tell, the woman was a shinigami herself.

"So one of the leaders chose to come here directly," Suifeng said. "But where are the other two?"

"Aren't those two the other two?" Oomaeda asked dully.

"The other two leaders are women, idiot," Suifeng corrected sharply. "Those two down there must simply be subordinates."

Oomaeda glanced up slightly and went pale, his eyes wide. ' "Hey, Captain," he stammered, "what's that up there?" Byakuya followed the oafish man's gaze and spotted a figure flying through the air towards them. It was impossible; the sekkiseki surrounding Seireitei prevented anything from using reishi to levitate. It had to be flying under its own power, and upon closer inspection, Byakuya saw that was indeed the case; the creature had a pair of broad bat-like wings.

It landed heavily to their right, a few meters away. It was entirely black, more like a humanoid-shaped void torn in the fabric of time and space than anything living. It was tall, lean, and muscular, lacking a face save for two pinpoints of noxious green light. Snake-like protrusions squirmed around its head and a whip-like tail swished this way and that silently. The thing made no sound at all as it stared at them.

"W-what is that thing?" Oomaeda asked, all sense of bravery abandoned.

"His name's Kagemaru!" a cheerful female voice said. The young woman seen earlier had appeared next to Suifeng. Byakuya found that the winged man had appeared beside him, and the masked man beside Oomaeda.

_Impressive,_ he thought, _they crept up on us without any of us noticing._

"Kagemaru's our pet," the woman continued helpfully. "We caught him a really long time ago and he was _really_ tiny back then. Now he's huge! A steady diet of hollows is a nifty thing, isn't it?"

"But now he's going to move to a diet of shinigami," the winged man said from next to Byakuya.

"Who are you?" Suifeng demanded. "What do you want?"

"We're Anyetuan," the woman said. To Byakuya's ears it sounded like she was trying to be cheerful, but couldn't totally cover up a less positive feeling. "We're gonna put Soul Society under new management, without shinigami. It's time to tear down your stagnant, corrupt regime and bring a truly just Soul Society." She seemed to be getting worked up, impassioned by her little speech.

"Wait!" Oomaeda cried out fearfully. "Aren't you a shinigami yourself?"

"I _used_ to be a shinigami," the woman explained. "Now I am one of the creatures of the night, an an'uuto!"

"We offer you a choice," the masked man said. "Surrender and perhaps receive mercy, or agree to no mercy at all."

Suifeng gritted her teeth. "I won't accept your mercy…" She suddenly vanished, leaving her shihakushou behind to fall upon the roof. In a flash, she was behind the traitorous shinigami and thrust her zanpakutou clear through her back and out her chest.

"And I won't give you any in return!" she finished. She was clad in her simple sleeveless, backless black Onmitsukidou commander outfit.

"You did it Captain!" Oomaeda cheered.

Suifeng had a look of grim triumph on her face, but it quickly turned to horror when she realized she hadn't harmed her opponent at all; fluttering at the end of her zanpakutou was the woman's black shihakushou-like garment and nothing else. At once she dropped down and rolled to the side, just as a blade swung through where her neck was. Above her was the woman, dressed just as Suifeng was.

_A shunpou expert,_ Byakuya observed coolly, _and a former member of Onmitsukidou?_

"Suzuko Nouhara," the woman said stated, watching Suifeng, "formerly captain of the 2nd Division and commander of Onmitsukidou."

Suifeng was on her feet immediately and facing her enemy. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Suifeng, currently captain of the 2nd Division and commander of Onmitsukidou."

"Oh, this will be good!" the winged man crowed. "I want to see a fight!"

Byakuya took the time to glance over his shoulder to observe how the 6th and 2nd Divisions were performing against the ryoka army. The army was pushing inward, forcing the shinigami back deeper into Seireitei. If they didn't defeat the army's commanders soon and take care of the army they would continue to penetrate deeper into Seireitei.

There wasn't any time to waste. Byakuya activated shunpou and spun around to face the winged man's back. He thrust Senbonzakura forward at the man's back, aiming for his saketsu and hakusui. Before his blow could land though, the man deftly whirled around, whipped out a sword of his own, and deflected Byakuya's strike. He moved with such speed and grace that for a second Byakuya was caught off guard. With his other hand, the man produced something from his coat and stuck at Byakuya's center. Byakuya immediately flew backwards with shunpou, moving about two meters. From his new vantage point he could see that his opponent had drawn a dagger; if his reaction had been slower, he may have been grievously wounded.

"You're fast," the man whistled. "So that's the speed of a captain of the Gotei 13. I'm impressed."

Byakuya regarded his enemy carefully. The man was certainly very fast himself, with a speed comparable to shunpou. How strong was he though?

He quickly glanced to see what was happening with the other commanders. Suifeng was dancing around with Nouhara, neither one getting a blow on the other. The black thing, Kagemaru, had joined in their battle, evidently to aide its mistress. The masked man remained by Oomaeda, effectively keeping him prisoner.

The winged man began to chuckle with good humor. "Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of the 6th Division. I am Fuisa Dehatsu, one of the three field marshals of the Army of the Empire of Greater Remuran. You're good, but there's no hope of even a captain defeating me. You might as well just give up now and go home."

Dehatsu smiled infuriatingly at Byakuya. It reminded him more than a little of Gin Ichimaru. But Byakuya wasn't about to be baited into losing his temper; he was above that.

"So you know who I am," Byakuya said, ignoring Dehatsu's remarks. "Tell me, were you involved in the abduction of Rukia Kuchiki?"

Dehatsu stopped for a moment, and put a finger to his chin. "Oh, right, she's related to you. Funny, didn't you try your best to kill her a month ago? Oh well, that's none of my business."

Byakuya kept his anger hidden. "Answer the question."

"No, no, no, no, no," Dehatsu said with exaggerated innocence at the accusation. He wore a mock look of shock and hurt. "I had nothing to do with that! But it was her own fault anyway for trying to defend Susana."

"How is she now?" Byakuya asked.

"My associates decided to play with Miss Rukia a little, but I'm afraid they played too rough and she…broke."

Byakuya's blood boiled. "What do you mean?"

"She only says the same thing over and over now," Dehatsu said, waving his hands in circular motions, "that she lied to us about Soul Society not sending her to interfere when we ever so graciously gave you time to think things over. She's like a broken toy. No wonder Lady Niou wants to get rid of you guys—you break your promises!"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "Even if you had no part in that, your organization as a whole is guilty for allowing it. You and your soldiers will die here now."

He dropped Senbonzakura blade first directly into the ground. "_Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi._" The zanpakutou sunk into ground, vanishing entirely. Two rows of massive blades rose up in reaction behind him. As soon as he finished speaking the name the blades exploded into billions of minute blades, appearing to be cherry blossoms blowing about in the wind due to the pink light they reflected. The blades of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi filled the air, surrounding the two combatants.

"Look at that!" Dehatsu laughed. Byakuya could see long fangs extending from the top row of his teeth. "It's beautiful! Oh how marvelous the zanpakutou is! How jealous Kin'you will be when I tell him about the sights I've seen here, and how jealous my master will be! When I kill you I simply must present your beautiful weapon to him."

Beneath the man's endless praise and joking manner was an undercurrent of sneering contempt. Byakuya had seldom wanted to be rid of someone as much as he did Fuisa Dehatsu. "Kill me?" he questioned. "You are free to try." He commanded a wave of the blades to crash down on Dehatsu. He lost sight of the winged field marshal in the pink onslaught.

* * *

Suifeng found she was at something of a disadvantage.

Nouhara and her eerie pet Kagemaru were both exceptionally fast (Nouhara possibly equal to herself, Kagemaru slightly slower but capable of flight) and they worked well together. One of them on their own Suifeng was sure she could handle, but both at once complicated matters. She had to keep moving to avoid their blows.

She stopped for second on top of a tower. A second later Nouhara was behind her, swinging her zanpakutou. Suifeng was forced to dodge out of the way, only for Kagemaru to attempt to intercept her with its fist. The huge creature narrowly missed her, and plunged its fist clear through the roof of the tower she was just standing on. The thing tore its hand free and turned swinging at her, Nouhara right behind it.

Suifeng observed that one would attack her while the other waited to intercept her. Every direct attack was an attempt to herd her into the attack of the other.

Kagemaru leapt up above the tower and hung in the air. Its featureless face split open horizontally, exposing rows upon rows of needle-like teeth. A pillar of black energy issued from the hideous mouth, straight at her. It looked very similar to a gillian firing cero.

Suifeng sped away in time to see the entire top of the tower implode. She landed on a lower section of roof, dropping to the side and rolling away right before Nouhara could that a swipe at her.

There was a heavy thud as Kagemaru landed on the roof as well. Suifeng got to her feet and found both her opponents standing before her. She scowled; she was getting nowhere fast.

"I'm not in the mood to chase you," Nouhara said, audibly annoyed. "You can't beat us! Either surrender or get lost and we'll finish this later."

Before Suifeng could tell her predecessor that she would kill her and her pet right there, Kagemaru's head suddenly snapped back so it was looking straight up into the sky. Kagemaru slowly stumbled back, its body twitching as though being struck repeatedly.

Nouhara looked baffled. "Kagemaru?" she asked.

Suifeng watched with wide eyes. _This is…_

A familiar voluptuous dark-skinned figure appeared between Suifeng and her enemies, panting and sweating. Her back was turned to her, but Suifeng would never mistake Lady Yoruichi Shihouin for anyone else.

"You're completely different from those little creatures," she said to Kagemaru. "You're pretty strong."

"Lady Yoruichi!" Suifeng gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a feeling something was going on here," Lady Yoruichi answered, "so I came to investigate. I'm glad I found you."

"What are you doing here?" Nouhara asked Lady Yoruichi. "Go away!"

"Don't worry, Suifeng, I'll take care of the big guy." Lady Yoruichi charged at Kagemaru, who had already recovered from the flurry of blows Lady Yoruichi had just given it. With a wide, powerful kick, Lady Yoruichi knocked the loathsome thing off the roof. It tumbled to the street below, and Lady Yoruichi followed unhesitatingly.

Suifeng smirked wickedly at Nouhara. "Now it's just us," she said. She didn't show how relieved she was that Lady Yoruichi intervened. "Let me show you why I'm now captain of the 2nd Division."

Suifeng pointed Suzemebachi at Nouhara. She was going to enjoy killing the invader. "_Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!_" Suzumebachi transformed in a flash of light into a gold and black glove on her right hand, a long serrated blade on her middle finger.

The 2nd Division captain beckoned with her gloved hand to Nouhara. "Come and experience the terror of Nigeki Kessatsu!"

"You're only using your shikai against me?" Nouhara asked. "Fine, I'll show you mine too!"

Nouhara took her zanpakutou and its sheath and slammed the sheath into the hilt. "_Laugh, Gokuumaru!_" The zanpakutou and the sheath flashed and merged together into a long crimson staff. Nouhara twirled the transformed Gokuumaru over her head before deftly snapping it into her other hand, the end pointed directly at Suifeng.

"So you're gonna kill me in two attacks?" she asked.

Suifeng felt a sharp breeze blow past her right cheek and something shattered behind her a few seconds later. Right next to her face was Gokuumaru. It now stretched from Nouhara's hands all the way past Suifeng. Suifeng turned around slightly, and saw that Gokuumaru had extended past her and into the side of a building behind her. Gokuumaru suddenly withdrew, returning to its original length.

"Then I'll kill you in a single attack," Nouhara said.

* * *

Marechiyo ran as fast as his considerable bulk allowed him. Right behind him was the masked man. Marechiyo had escaped when the guy wasn't looking, but he was not going to lose him easily. Marechiyo had a plan though…

"Oh no!' Marechiyo wailed. "I'm done for! You're gonna get me!"

The man said nothing. Marechiyo just needed him in pursuit. Just a little further…

Marechiyo activated shunpou. Just as he did, he yelled, "_Smash, Gegetsuburi!_" He arced around to behind the man as Gegetsuburi transformed into a large spiked ball on a chain. He hurled Gegetsuburi with all his might at the back of the man's head. Gegetsuburi crashed into the masked man's skull, a direct hit. The blow toppled the man, and he fell over to the side, falling off the roof they were standing on.

"_Oh yeah!_" Marechiyo pumped his fist in the air and did a victory jig. "Got you good, didn't I? Thought I was just a helpless fatso, huh? Well I showed you!"

He peered over the edge and saw the body unmoving on the street below. Marechiyo grinned and sauntered off. He figured Captain Suifeng might need his assistance in some way. It was better not to keep her waiting.

He had gotten ready to look for Suifeng when he heard what sounded like a building shattering. He turned around in time to see the area he just left explode and a large armored figure rise up. It flew overhead and landed in front of him. He was left facing a dull green armored man with a fearsome dragon-like hollow mask. In its hand was a colossal sword that was longer than Suifeng was tall, and wider than she was too. The man looked bigger than Kenpachi Zaraki.

"That hurt, you little turd," the armored man growled.

Marechiyo stared up at the armored man in horror, unable to even try to make an escape. "Erm, sorry?" he stammered.

"_No one_ hits Bowie Stardust in the head like that!" the man bellowed. The last thing Marechiyo saw for the rest of the day was an armored fist larger than his own head zooming up to his face in an uppercut.

It was a long time before Marechiyo fell back to Seireitei.

* * *

"_Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!_" Even as the huge cleaver changed into an elegant black daitou, Ichigo charged at the hateful prince of Remuran. With a roar he leapt into the air and swung Zangtsu in a downward sweep. Resu smiled and whipped his arm out, a deck of cards in his hand. The cards fired out, one after another, rapidly until he held a strange "broadsword" composed of playing cards. Ichigo found his blade intercepted by the bizarre weapon. To Ichigo's surprise the card-sword perfectly withstood his attack.

He dropped back to the ground and immediately commenced swinging wildly at Resu. Ichigo ignored the burning pain in his shoulder, even though every swing aggravated the wound. Each slice was parried by Resu's card-sword, but Ichigo forced him to take a step back with each attack.

With Ichigo's next swing Resu leapt back a bit, dodging the blow but still catching Zangetsu against his blade. As soon as the blades touched, Resu's sword collapsed entirely. Ichigo was thrown off balance after putting so much weight into the swing, and he nearly fell forward. Suddenly, the cards that had composed the sword flew up around Ichigo, their edges slashing at him. With a yell he swung Zangetsu around, trying to defend himself. For his efforts he just got cut up rather badly.

"_Kurosaki!_" Ino'ue cried from behind him.

With a growl Ichigo used shunpou to escape the flock of vicious cards. He appeared behind the flock. Gathering his reiryoku in Zangetsu, he swung it forward. "_Getsuga Tenshou!_" A black crescent was forced from the tip and swung into the cards, annihilating them.

Ichigo panted, his body stinging all over. Resu was smiling blandly at his, shuffling his deck of cards. "Tired?" the prince asked.

"I just have to visualize kicking your ass and I feel better," Ichigo spat. He leveled Zangetsu at him.

Resu sighed. "If you insist. I warn you, your death will not be pleasant in the least now. You have no one but yourself to blame."

He picked four cards from his deck and held them up. "_Paizuto: Shishu Hasseku nai Zauzuto!_" he intoned. The cards drifted from his fingers and hovered above his head. They flashed brightly and transformed into glowing shapes: a green clover, a red heart, a blue diamond, and a yellow spade. While it looked really silly, Ichigo figured it was quite serious.

"Now how shall I kill you?" Resu asked. "I have several choices now. Oh well, I might as go with the classic. _Paizuto: Kuizan Doudan!_" A glowing yellow spade flew out from his sleeve. It flew directly toward Ichigo.

"Watch out, Ino'ue!" Ichigo dodged the strange projectile by moving to his right. The spade scraped the left wall, gouging a long groove. He couldn't see what was happening with Ino'ue, but it sounded like she was okay.

"That's it?" he asked Resu.

"No, it isn't," Resu answered with a smirk.

"_Kurosaki! Behind you!_" Ino'ue cried. "_Santen Kesshun, I reject!_" Ichigo turned around in to see the spade flying back at him. Ino'ue's golden shield appeared behind him, right before the spade could connect with him. The shield cracked and shattered upon impact. Ichigo moved aside as quickly as he could, but there was little room to maneuver in the cramped corridor. He only managed to keep the spade from hitting him directly in the center. He screamed as it grazed his right side; it felt like a blade left in an open fire for a few minutes had sliced him. He stumbled, clutching his wounded side. He jammed Zangetsu's blade into the floor and leaned on it for balance. He watched the spade fly back to Resu, circling around his head. With a motion of his hand, the spade flew back at Ichigo.

"Shit," Ichigo cursed. He forced himself to his feet again and waited, calculating the speed and distance of the spade. Then he struck, swinging Zangetsu downward, catching the spade on the tip. He hit with so much force the spade was deflected into the wall, imbedding itself into the stone. It wiggled around, trying to free itself. Ichigo immediately drove Zangetsu into the spade, shattering it. The pieces glowed yellow for a moment, then faded away.

Resu clapped politely. "Not bad," he admitted. "But I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Ichigo charged at him with shunpou, Zangetsu pulled back for a killing blow. "_I'm ending this now!_"

* * *

Rangiku kept out of reach of Estrella's spider-like legs fairly easily. His weapons were impressive, but she had a distance advantage over him. She sent Haineko's ash out in a cyclone, sweeping through Estrella's blades and attacking the heipomian directly. He shrieked and swung Lainzhizhu around wildly, trying to disperse the deadly ash. Rangiku simply stood a distance away, allowing her enemy to be slashed and molested.

Another wall came tumbling down as Alba barreled after María. Alba had caused a significant amount of destruction in her attempts to kill her ex-girlfriend. Rangiku moved aside, not wanting to get involved with their fight. She saw María running back and forth, attacking Alba when she could. Haineko had been unable to pierce Alba's skin before, but Fengmuji had left a number of gashes on Alba.

_You can do it, María! I'm rooting for you!_

There was a steely clanking sound before her. Rangiku turned around and saw Estrella's blade leg about to stab down on her. Maybe he had escaped Haineko, or maybe he was too pained to see where he was going, but it didn't matter. Rangiku jerked Haineko's handle back to redirect the dust to Estrella's leg, but another leg slammed into her side. It had been the back of the leg so it was thankfully blunt, but the blow was still strong enough to knock the wind from her lungs. Rangiku was thrown to the floor, one of Estrella's legs looming above, ready to stab through her back. There was no time to react.

"_Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!_" Immediately the temperature dropped. The long chain and crescent blade of Hyourinmaru's shikai whizzed overhead and wrapped around Esrtella's leg, incasing it in ice.

Rangiku rolled out of the way and got to her feet. Toushirou Hitsugaya was struggling to keep Estrella in place, tightly clutching Hyourinmaru's chain. She was both glad and annoyed to see her captain; Rangiku had really wanted to take care of Estrella on her own.

_How did he get here anyway?_ Rangiku wondered. Still, it would be good if he could help María.

"When we get back to headquarters," Toushirou growled, "we're going to have a _long_ talk on trust and following orders!"

With a final yank, Estrella pulled free from Hyourinmaru, but the frozen leg cracked. The ice broke off , but when Estrella tried to walk with the metal blades shattered. His remaining legs stumbled about, trying to regain his balance.

"Captain!" Rangiku said. "Please, let me handle this! It's my fight."

"You're supposed to be guarding Karakura Town!" he yelled back. "I had to come all this way to find you and Lieutenant Aburai!"

"How did you get here anyway?"

"When I realized you were gone," Toushirou said, "I knew you had to be looking for Niou, given your somewhat personal involvement with this."

_If only he knew just how personal!_ Rangiku thought with a sly smile.

"I got in touch with Kisuke Urahara," her captain continued. "He picked up on a recent garganta of unusual power and was able to reopen it for us. I just followed the trail of dead an'uuto to find this battle."

Estrella had begun to recover. He glared at Rangiku and Toushrou. He was minus a leg, but he still had three other legs. If he lost a second leg it would be over for him.

A thought occurred to Rangiku. "Captain, you insinuated someone else came with you. Who is it?"

Toushirou scowled. "It's…"

* * *

Tara walked numbly through the halls, the sounds of battle distant and muffled. Teatime Osbourne trotted behind her silently, which was unusual. Often he was rather talkative, but Tara reckoned he feared bothering her in her time of mourning. It would have been very foolhardy to annoy her when she was as upset as she was.

_I killed Seia. I killed my love, my best friend, my lieutenant. _She felt dead herself. The only thought that kept her going was how she would see to it Orihime Ino'ue paid dearly. What was it with that girl? She wasn't supposed to remember her dreams of Seia. Tara had set up her Seia dreams to be subliminal; Ino'ue would have woken up with a desire to be with Seia, but not understand why. Somehow Ino'ue remembered her dreams exactly rather than just the suggestions. If she hadn't remembered the dreams then Seia would've never protested and she would still be alive, happy to have a new lover on the side when her other two lovers were busy with other things. It was all very normal in the World of Darkness to keep multiple lovers.

_This is your fault, Orihime Ino'ue. It's your fault Seia's gone! You took her from me! Suzuko and I, we'll see to it that you suffer!_

"What do we do now, Lady Niou?" Osbourne asked. Tara blinked and realized they had been walking aimlessly for a while now.

"Susana and the heidushuijing should be down this way," she said. "Once we kill her we can leave to Soul Society. I'll be able to open a rift to allow more of Remuran's forces into the battle. Capturing the sunjinza will be easy then. Everything should be finished soon after that."

"Oh, so that's what you plan to do!" an unfamiliar voice jeered.

Tara whirled around. There was an unfamiliar reiatsu in the air now, faint that she couldn't feel it without really concentrating. She and Osbourne glanced around, looking for the intruder.

"Where are you?" she demanded. "Come out now!"

Osbourne suddenly screamed. She turned to find him collapsed on the floor. Tara immediately drew Narakuhi. From behind Osbourne a second of wall had detached itself in the shape of a man. The wall's surface flaked, shaking off to reveal a shinigami captain in white make-up and a black mask. He held a golden trident-like zanpakutou with a hilt resembling a baby's head.

"Tara Niou," the captain said with unholy glee, "at last we meet!" His voice and mannerisms were uncannily similar to Exquisite Sovereign Hetto's. She remembered Ino'ue's outburst, accusing Hetto to be a Captain Kurotsuchi. Yes, the name was known to her; the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns wanted the man alive so they could confiscate his research to better understand the unfamiliar world.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, I presume?"

"Indeed," the vile man answered. "Niou, you're an inspiration to me! I've spent countless hours conjecturing what you discovered that drove you to abandon Soul Society!"

"So you came all this way to learn what I discovered so you can die a happy man?"

"Die? You don't understand!" Kurotsuchi said. "I came here for your research, your discoveries, but most of all, for you! I will take you back to Soul Society and slowly, lovingly take you apart and put you on my shelf. You will be my most prized specimen!"

"I'll pass," Tara answered. She leveled her zanpakutou at Kurotsuchi. "_Freeze to death, Narakuhi._"

* * *

Orihime wanted to tear her eyes away, but she couldn't; she was transfixed, unable to look away or even blink.

Kurosaki was pinned to a wall by Resu's sharpened cards. Blood streamed from countless cuts and gashes all over his body. His head was lowered, his hand still clutching his zanpakutou. The fight had been brutally short. Resu simply overwhelmed Kurosaki with his awful cards and spades until he lost consciousness.

"Kurosaki?" she called, tears building in her eyes. There was no response. He didn't seem to even be breathing any more.

Orihime began to weep. It was all over. If Kurosaki couldn't win, even with bankai, then there was nothing she could do against Resu. She loved Seia, that much was certain, but she had always held feelings toward Kurosaki. They were ambiguous feelings and she wasn't always sure about them, but she understood that moment that she loved him too.

A hand grabbed her wrist. Resu. He yanked cruelly at her arm. "Come now, Princess Piglet, we mustn't keep the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns waiting!"

"Let me heal him first!" she pleaded. "Please!"

"Of course not," Resu said. "He may wake up and come after us. No, he will die here and that is that."

Orihime glared at him. She had always been a peaceful, good-natured person. Hate was normally alien to her, but now hate, hot and frighteningly unfamiliar, raged within her. For perhaps the first time in her life, Orihime hated someone. She hated Prince Resu, hated him with all her heart. She wanted to scream at him, hit him, beat him, cut him, _kill_ him for everything he had done, but it was no use. She was helpless against him.

"Come along now," Resu said, that hateful, bland smile of his back again. He led her away from her fallen friend. Orihime began to cry silently again.

_Good-bye, Kurosaki. Good-bye, everyone._

Someone giggled, high-pitched and eerie. It came from behind Orihime, but Kurosaki didn't sound like that, and he never giggled. Resu stopped and looked over his shoulder. Orihime looked over her shoulder too. Kurosaki's body quivered and shook as it giggled uncontrollably. The giggling gave way to full blown maniacal laughter. The sound chilled Orihime.

"Kurosaki?" she whispered fearfully.

"_No,_" Kurosaki's body replied. "_I'm not Kurosaki._" It was a horrible voice that didn't sound at all like Kurosaki. He raised his head and Orihime's breath caught in her throat. Kurosaki's eyes had turned a tawny yellow and the sclera had gone completely black. Even worse was the entire left side of his face had been covered with a white demonic mask. He looked almost like…

_A hollow!_

"I thought you were a shinigami," Resu said. Even he sounded unnerved by Kurosaki's transformation. "How can you be a hollow?"

The thing in Kurosaki's body tore free from the cards pinning him to the wall with a sickening rip. He moved in a jerky, unnatural way, raising his zanpakutou.

"I just am!" he laughed. "That idiot Ichigo Kurosaki, he's so weak to lose to one as pathetic as you!"

He approached Resu slowly, laughing all the while. "You think you know darkness? You're just a scared little brat who needs to prey upon weaklings to feel big! I'll show you what real darkness is!"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

**Alba Wolf's zanpakutou**

Name: Yueguangfeng (月光風 (ユエグアンフン) _Yueguanfun_, _lit._ Moonlight Wind)

Fuhuo: Alba's appearance becomes more feral, growing blue fur and her wolf-like hollow mask returns. It is activated by the command "shine" (光れ _hikare_).

Abilities: Yueguangfeng increases Alba's already impressive strength significantly, allowing her to tear through just about anything.

**Estrella Mort's zanpakutou**

Name: Lianzhizhu (鎌蜘蛛 (リィエンヂィヂュー) _Riienjiijuu_, _lit._ Scythe Spider)

Fuhuo: Lianzhizhu transforms into a falchion with a German-fashion wire hilt and  
scythe-like spines emerge from Estrella's back. It is activated by the command "tear" (剥げ _hage_).

Abilities: Estrella can use the scythe-like spines to move around like extra limbs, using them as attacks, or way to move around, or use as a barrier to protect himself as well.

**Paizuto**

Paizuto (牌術 (パイズト) _Paizuto_, _lit._ art of the card) is a series of techniques that revolve around weaponized playing cards.

Paizuto: Shishu Hasseku nai Zauzuto (牌術・四種花色乃呪術 (パイズト・シシュハッセクナイザウズト) _Paizuto:_ _Shishu Hasseku nai Zauzuto_, _lit_. art of the card: magic of the four suits) is an ability that allows Resu to access powers based on the four suits.

Paizuto: Kuizan Doudan (牌術・葵扇導弾 (パイズト・クイザンドウダン) _Paizuto: Kuizan Doudan_, _lit_. art of the card: guided spade missile) is a spade-shaped projectile that Resu can guide the movements of.

**Sunjinza**

It is currently unknown what a sunjinza (純心者 (スンジンザ) _Sunjinza_) is, but they are important to the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns. Orihime Ino'ue is confirmed to be one, but what does that mean?

BREAK

_Author's note: This chapter is unforgivably late. I promise the next ones will come out fairly quickly. I am excited enough to make them quickly since there is only a little left before the end. _

_I finally decided to make a poll. Which original _Bleach: Creatures of the Night_ characters do you like the most? I have been wondering about that for a while now, and this far into the story I can ask that question. _


	20. Ace of Spades

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

_Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500._

* * *

**20. ****エース･オブ･スペーズ**

**20. Ace of Spades**

María countered every strike Alba attempted, dodged every charge her former lover made. Each blow from the twin Yueguangfeng made Fengmuji ring painfully. Fengmuji's fuhuo was made to deflect blades with its talons, but Yueguangfeng was so huge and Alba so strong that María could only absorb more power from the heidushuijing to keep herself alive.

María hopped back a few paces, her left hand held at Alba. She gathered her reiryoku in her palm, and suddenly fired it off in a long yellow cero. The attack hit Alba head on, exploding violently and pushing her back. María focused and took in more of the heidushuijing's power. It was a rush taking in that dark essence; María had never felt so powerful before. A heady feeling was filling her, like she had just eaten a high-quality soul.

_Is this how Niou feels?_ she wondered. _I feel amazing! More! I want more!_

Alba screamed as María's cero intensified in strength. María relaxed, ending the assault. "Do you give up yet?" she asked. María panted, her whole body buzzing pleasantly, as though she just finished up some especially vigorous sex—the kind she used to have with Alba. It dawned on María that she was extremely turned on; her nipples were hard, her womanhood was moist and eager.

Alba struggled to get back on her feet. She kept her eyes on María the entire time. She looked worn but still dangerous. "María," she said, her voice raspy from behind her mask, "put down the crystal! Didn't you know Lady Niou used it only rarely and for short periods?"

María frowned. Now that Alba mentioned it, she could only recall Niou using the heidushuijing for short periods then quickly putting it away. "What, are you saying it's dangerous?"

"There must be some reason for doing that!" Alba said. "Maybe the heidushuijing wasn't meant to be used like that. You might be killing yourself, María!"

"And you want me to put it down, right?" María asked. "Yeah, so you can kill me or take it back to Niou. Really Alba, like I'm gonna just drop the crystal for you."

Alba looked away. "You're a fool, María; you think you can just use the power the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns granted us against their own herald?"

"I don't care about the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns," María said. "I just wanna be my own person."

Alba chuckled. "It's not that simple. You haven't experienced the Exquisite Sovereigns; it's a privilege only my rank and higher possesses."

"So what?" María asked.

"You were better off safe with us," Alba said. "To turn against us is to turn against the Exquisite Sovereigns. They're far greater than you or I, even with that crystal."

María smirked. She couldn't begin to imagine anything more power than her and the heidushuijing. If she needed more power she just had to keep feeding the crystal's strength into her body. She squeezed her fingers over the pocket she had concealed the heidushuijing and started absorbing more from it. She gasped sharply at the sudden intake and groaned; she had practiced with the crystal in the space beneath Urahara's shop, but never for sustained moments like she had just been doing.

"No one can beat me like this!" María said. "I'm a goddess! I've got the power now and it feels _so_ good!"

A spasm ran through María's body, wiping the smile from her face. She stepped back, felt normal again, and smiled shakily at Alba. _That was weird._

Another spasm made her hands jerk. María grunted, her eyes snapping wide. Her reiroku was burning, as was the power from the crystal. She ordered the crystal to shut off; it increased the output instead. María mentally screamed at it to stop but it ignored her.

She stumbled back, her entire body burning painfully. "María?" Alba asked. María couldn't answer her, her body twitching uncontrollably. She could only make a pained squeak.

The heidushuijing felt white hot against her skin, the heat intensifying with every passing second. Then, without warning, it exploded. María blacked out, before she could see the vast amounts of dark energy bust outward, before she could see Alba be hurled away like a rag doll.

* * *

Rangiku felt the floor shake beneath her feet. She looked up to see a wall of blackness rushing to meet her. It was so sudden that she didn't react; her mind couldn't even register was she was seeing. All she could recognize was that the darkness was coming from where María had been earlier.

_María…!_

In a flash, Toushirou had moved in front of her. He put his hand out and a rectangular wall of translucent energy appeared in front of them, the 81st bankou danku. It was one of the strongest of all bankou, and Toushirou was skilled enough to cast it without even speaking the incantation.

Which may have been the reason it shattered as soon as the wall of darkness touched it.

"_Captain!_" Rangiku saw Toushirou engulfed by the oncoming darkness, and a second later it was her turn.

At first Rangiku thought she had gone blind. There was darkness all around her, for as far as her eye could see. It was cold enough that gooseflesh rose on her arms.

"_María!_" she called, her voice echoing weirdly around her. In fact, it was as if she didn't say the words with her mouth but with her mind. "_Captain!_ _Where are you?_"

A flash from up ahead startled her; at least it proved she wasn't blind though. She ran towards it, the white light growing brighter and brighter.

"—_giku!_" It was María's voice, distorted and strange but recognizably hers. Rangiku quickened her pace. "_Rangiku!_"

"_María! I'm coming! Where are you?_"

"_I'm in the light!_"

"_Matsumoto!_" came Toushirou's voice.

"_I'm going toward the light!_" Rangiku called back to Toushirou.

Rangiku moved through the light—and found herself in a vast throne room. A large mole-like adjuchas squatted on the floor, looking clumsy and stupid. The throne room was filled with people watching the adjuchas. Standing to the front of the adjuchas was a woman about as tall as Rangiku herself and with a bust size to match. The woman had long black hair, pale skin, and vividly purple eyes. She wore a black shihakushou-like garment with golden trim. In her hand was the heidushuijing.

"_Tara Niou!_" Rangiku looked to her left and found Toushirou standing beside her. He was watching the proceedings with astonished eyes.

"_It's Tara Niou,_" he said once more. "_Matsumoto, get ready!_"

"_There's no need to fight here,_" came Alba's voice. Rangiku looked around for their enemies and spotted them in the crowd watching the adjuchas. Both Alba and Estrella, along with many she couldn't recognize, were standing to the adjuchas' right. Rangiku and Toushirou were standing to its left.

Rangiku frowned. Alba and Estrella had the zanpakutou sealed and looked pristine. They didn't appear to have been in a fight at all.

"_No, over here, to your right._" Rangiku followed the voice and found Alba and Estrella beside her, the zanpakutou still released and as she remembered them.

"_What is this?_" Toushirou demanded. "_What are you doing here?_"

"_I don't know,_" Estrella said. "_I've seen this before though._"

"_Hey guys,_" came María's voice. A flickering, glowing figure appeared between Rangiku and Alba. It was indistinct and phantasmagorial, but still recognizable as María.

"_What happened María?_" Rangiku asked.

"_Where are we?_" asked Toushirou.

"_Just watch,_" María said.

Rangiku turned back to the adjuchas. It was now shaking and its skin suddenly came off in chunks that evaporated. Its mask shattered, revealing a familiar girl with spiky dark brown hair underneath. She fell gasping to the floor, naked and shivering.

Rangiku gasped. "_That's—_"

"_Yeah, that's me,_" said María. "_I had no idea I was that ugly as an adjuchas._"

"_So these are your memories being replayed,_" Toushirou observed. "_But why is this happening?_"

"_I fucked up badly with the heidushuijing,_" María answered. "_It exploded and now we're here. You guys seem okay, but something's wrong with me. I'm…changing, I think. I dunno yet, really._"

Rangiku looked worriedly at her lover, afraid of what she was saying. "_María, it's gonna be okay!_" she insisted.

The memory of Alba moved forward, taking off her jacket and draping it over the memory of María's skinny frame. The memory María gratefully accepted it and smiled at the memory Alba.

"Thanks," memory María said. She looked tired but happy.

"Don't mention it," memory Alba said, smiling back warmly. "I remember how it was when I changed."

Their eyes met. María's smile faded; she just gazed into memory Alba's eyes as though entranced. Then she flicked her eyes away and smiled again.

The scene changed slightly. Now memory María was wearing a red blouse with a matching skirt. She was kneeling before Niou and two other women. Rangiku recognized the dark-skinned woman from the days before, but the blonde woman was unfamiliar to her.

"_Seia Kazama and Suzuko Nouhara,_" said Toushirou.

"María Susana," said memory Niou, "are you prepared to pledge yourself in service to Anyetuan, the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns, and the Empire of Greater Remuran?"

"I am," memory María stated firmly.

The scene changed again, a montage of memories appearing one after another of memory María with memory Alba and memory Estrella. From what Rangiku could see, Alba served as María's teacher when she wasn't knocking back drinks and partying.

"Come on, be serious!" memory María insisted, tugging at memory Alba's arm. Alba was lying on her back in sand. They seemed to be outside Anheisi.

"You gotta relax, kid," memory Alba said. "Being so uptight doesn't help; it leaves you worn out when you really gotta act." She smiled lazily at memory María.

Memory María threw up her hands in frustration, and said, "Yeah, I get it, but I can't just relax! It doesn't work that way!"

Memory Alba looked over at her. "I never said learning to loosen up was easy. It's crazy, but you gotta work hard at relaxing sometimes."

Rangiku watched on as memory María sat down beside memory Alba. Memory Alba reached over and affectionately stroked memory María's spiky hair. María looked over at memory Alba, surprised.

"Hey."

Memory Alba immediately stopped. She turned over, her back facing memory María. "Sorry," she said.

"No, don't stop," memory María insisted. "I like that."

"It was an accident," memory Alba said. Rangiku thought memory Alba spoke just slightly too quickly, like there was some measure of defensiveness.

Memory Alba stood up and sighed. "Let's go back inside," she said. "This isn't working. We'll try again tomorrow."

"But I wanna learn now!" memory María said. She sat up in the sand and glared at memory Alba. "I wanna be with you when we take Soul Society down! I'm gonna be as good a fighter as you, Alba!"

"There's always tomorrow," memory Alba said wistfully. "You know María, I think you look really sexy when you fight."

Memory María stared at memory Alba. "What? Really?"

Memory Alba nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you look a lot more elegant than I do when fighting."

Memory María looked stunned for a moment, then a large smile broke out on her face. Her eyes shined happily. "Thanks a lot, Alba."

"No problem, kid."

The scene abruptly shifted. Memory Alba and memory María were inside, sparing with their zanpakutou. Even though memory María was fast and light, memory Alba effortlessly blocked her blows with her huge sword.

"Damn it!" memory María swore. Sweat rolled off her brow and she panted as she continued her furious assault. She gave up and threw Fengmuji to the floor with a loud clatter. "I can't beat you even in a friendly match!"

"Well you are far below me in rank," memory Alba pointed out. "Don't get too worked up about it."

She sheathed her zanpakutou and moved to pick memory María's up. She pressed Fengmuji back into memory María's hands. "And don't treat Fengmuji like junk! Our zanpakutou are part of us; a bit of what we used to be lives inside."

Their hands brushed. Memory Alba suddenly blushed and backed off. Memory María looked hurt.

"Sorry Alba," she said, but memory María sounded disappointed.

Memory Alba turned away. "Go to bed if you want; I'm gonna be here."

Again the scene changed. Memory María seemed to be at a party. She watched memory Alba apprehensively. The senior heipomian seemed to be drunk, downing some beverage at a rate Rangiku found admirable. Memory Alba burped a bit and laughed.

"C'mon, let's have some fun here!" she whooped joyfully, her words slurred. "Bring on the hot chicks!"

A woman with a white crew cut and deathly pale skin raised her own drink and laughed to that, saying something in the an'uuto language. Rangiku noticed that woman and several other people in the party had pointed ears. Others had animal ears, and some literally were animals walking up right.

_Are those an'uuto too?_ Rangiku wondered. _They don't look like heipomian._

Memory Alba put a big arm over memory María's shoulder, much to memory María's shock. "Well looky here, my student! Why don't you get a few drinks in you, María?"

"I don't wanna drink," memory María said sternly. "Come on, Alba, you've had enough."

Memory Alba turned to the others. "Ah, there she goes! María can't just loosen up! That's her problem!"

Memory María looked angry and stormed off. Just as memory Alba could be heard protesting faintly, the scene shifted to a bedroom. Memory Alba was sitting on the bed while memory María stood next to memory Alba, hands on her hips. Memory Alba was crying.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I didn't mean to embarrass you!"

"What's with you!?" memory María asked. "You always act weird around me, doing stuff then backing off! Are you coming on to me? Just say it!"

Memory Alba looked up, tears streaking her face. "Don't you get it? I want you; I think we're _made_ for each other, but I'm your superior officer! It's not right to pursue a relationship!"

"If it's so wrong, then why haven't you transferred me to a different superior?" memory María argued. She grasped memory Alba's powerful hands and looked her directly in the eye. "I want you too," she admitted. "I've wanted you for a long time now."

Memory Alba looked back, seemingly unsure of herself. Memory María moved forward slowly until their faces were centimeters away. Then the younger girl planted a quick kiss on memory Alba's lips. Memory María looked pleadingly at her senior.

"Please," she said. "We both want it.."

Without another word, memory Alba returned the kiss. This time it was a long, heavy kiss. Rangiku felt warm watching them. She wanted to cheer, but she reminded herself that she was watching something that actually happened, not a stage romance.

Memory Alba and memory María's kiss grew more urgent. They began to grope at each other clumsily, and some how got out of their clothes. Memory María's body was just as Rangiku knew it, but Rangiku found it enthralling to see Alba exposed. Her muscles were strong and powerful and her body had some scars like you would expect to see on a manly warrior. Yet memory Alba's impressive breasts were a constant reminder that she was very much a woman. The contrast between the feminine and the masculine was incredibly erotic to Rangiku; she would have liked to step in and join them.

"_Guh!_" Toushirou said. Rangiku looked over and saw her captain hand turned around. "_I don't need to see this,_" he muttered. Was his cheek red? Rangiku smiled and turned back to the sex show.

"_I'd…rather you not be watching this, Rangiku,_" María said. The embarrassment in her voice was very clear. "_You wouldn't mind turning around like your captain has, would you?_"

"_Are you kidding me?_" Rangiku asked. "_I'm not missing this!_"

María sighed over the moaning and groaning her memory self was making. "_Just like Alba would say._"

"_Yeah, it is,_" Alba remarked with a chuckle. "_Awkward!_"

"_I'm not looking, María,_" Estrella said.

"_Thanks. I can always count on you, Estrella._"

"_This is ridiculous!_" Toushirou said. "_Weren't we fighting to the death a moment ago? Why are we chatting so easily now?_"

"_Good porn can freeze any conflict in its tracks!_" Rangiku said with a laugh.

"_I'll say,_" Rangiku heard Alba respond. "_You know, for a shinigami I guess you're not so bad. You've got good taste, I'll give you that!_"

"_You too!_" Rangiku said. "_You can really pound your drinks down too! I'd love to have a drinking contest with you._"

"_Forget that—I wouldn't mind a little three-way with you and María!_" Alba laughed. "_You've got one nice body!_"

"_Alba!_" María snapped.

Rangiku grinned and thrust her chest out while running her hands down her sides slowly. "_Mmm, I wouldn't mind the company of a big, strong woman like you,_" she replied in her sexiest tone. "_Besides, it's not every day I meet a gal with bigger tits than me. I'm impressed!_"

"_Rangiku!_" María snapped.

Rangiku just had to laugh at María's annoyance. "_I guess you never took Alba's advice to heart, eh?_"

"_No she hasn't!_" Alba laughed.

"_You two are hopeless!_" Toushirou and María thundered simultaneously.

Rangiku was going to tell María and Toushirou to lighten up when the scene once again changed. This was very different from the other ones; María was suspended in space against a backdrop of a deep red sky with a similarly crimson palace. The palace looked a little like Seireitei painted red and gold.

"_Wow, what's going on here?_" Rangiku asked.

"_I—I don't know,_" María answered. She sounded very confused. "_I don't remember this at all._"

"Do you hear me?" a soft male voice asked.

"Yes, I hear you," memory María answered.

"Good; so the experiment worked." A figure materialized in front of memory María. Its back was turned so Rangiku couldn't see the face, but the figure wore a heavy white coat with a lot of white fur lining it. A large hood obscured the face, but it looked to Rangiku like the figure had white hair, but it may have been more of the fur lining.

"_Isn't that Prince Resu?_" Estrella asked.

"_Yeah, it is!_" Alba said. "_What were you doing with Resu?_"

"_I don't know!_" María said. "_This isn't familiar at all!_"

"_Prince Resu…_" Toushirou repeated thoughtfully. "_He was the one described in the report by Kuchiki during the first attack on Karakura Town._"

"Do you love Anyetuan?" memory Resu asked. "Do you love Tara Niou?"

"Yes I do, Prince Resu," memory María said. "I will follow Lady Niou to my death if I have to."

Memory Resu chuckled and removed his hood. Rangiku saw he was a very handsome youth with the same porcelain-white skin, pure white hair, and pointy ears as that an'uuto woman with the buzz cut from earlier in the memories. His eyes were a vivid ruby color and wore a small, bland smile. Rangiku got the strange feeling that he wasn't actually smiling and only wanted people to think he was.

"_That's Resu all right,_" María said. "_But I never was interrogated like this. He didn't know how I really felt._"

"Well not any more," memory Resu said. "From now on you will hate Lady Niou. At first though you will only find her words suspicious. When you wake up from this dream you will start to feel Lady Niou hasn't been honest with you, but that will be the extent of your suspicions."

"Yes, Prince Resu," memory María responded.

Rangiku couldn't believe what she was hearing. What did it mean? Was María brainwashed into turning against Tara Niou? But wasn't Resu a part of the same organization? It didn't make sense.

She looked over at María. The heipomian girl had stiffened, a look of confusion and shocked incomprehension on her face. Her eyes were wide and trembling. "_This…this can't be…_" she whispered.

"_Prince Resu is a Dream Weaver?_" Estrella asked.

"_He can't be,_" Alba said. "_We would've been told if he were! More importantly, why's he doing that to María?_"

"When I call you a 'pawn'," memory Resu said, "you will begin to hate Lady Niou, convinced that she doesn't care about you or any heipomian. You will still hate the shinigami of course, but you will feel the desire to flee Anheisi. But you will not until you get your hands on the heidushuijing."

"But how will I get the heidushujing?" memory María asked.

"I will plant the instructions in a solider to pick it up three nights from now after I arrange for the crystal to exposed," memory Resu said. "Just like you, he will not remember dreaming of me. On the third night you will notice him outside your room, and you will kill him and take the heidushuijing for yourself. With it escape from Anheisi should pose no problem."

"What do I do after that?" memory María asked.

"You will run a safe distance from Anheisi," memory Resu instructed. "Then you will use the heidushuijing to travel to Soul Society. Do what you want there, I don't care"

"Yes, Prince Resu."

The scene shifted again, but Rangiku didn't care. The words of memory Resu echoed in her head. She turned to María. The girl was shivering, clutching her head, her eyes wide.

"_María…_"

"_It was all a lie,_" María said. "_It was all just a fucking lie. Everything…everything I did was just a manipulation._"

Rangiku stepped forward and put her arms around María, embracing her. María felt small and fragile in her distress.

"_Everything's gonna be okay, María. I'm here._"

"_That little bastard,_" Alba seethed. "_He sabotaged our entire operation and did it by fucking with María's head! He got put away for attempted rape so we all know he's scum, but what possible reason could he have for doing this?_"

"_I won't be used,_" María said. "_I won't be used ever again!_"

Her body began to glow. Rangiku backed away from her lover, watching with weary amazement. Since appearing in the black void, María had taken a translucent, indistinct quality, but she was slowly regaining a solid look. The darkness around them shimmered and began to fade away. María raised her head and arms, a determined look on her face.

"_I'm my own person, now and forever!_"

To Rangiku's surprise, María began to change. Her arms, exposed because her sleeves had fallen down, were thickening. Her arm muscles were growing larger. Rangiku gasped, and then noticed María's breasts seemed to be filling out. The material of her robe pushed out as María's chest slowly expanded. The growth wasn't too drastic, and her newly increased bust didn't even begin to approach Rangiku or Alba in size, but it was still noticeable compared to what María was like before.

Suddenly the darkness around them shattered. María stood trembling, the glow around her fading but her transformation remained. María was breathing heavily, sweating copiously.

"María, look at yourself!" Rangiku cried, aware her voice no longer sounded strange.

"Yeah, you've changed," Alba added.

"What? How am I different?" María looked at her hands, and surprise dawned on her face. She looked so funny Rangiku wanted to laugh.

"Your muscles and boobs just got bigger!" Rangiku said. "I like the new look. How do you feel?"

María flexed her right arm in a daze. She inspected her hard, round bicep with some disbelief. "I…I feel really powerful, like I'm gonna explode from all that power inside."

"What happened to you?" Estrella asked. He too looked very surprised by the change.

"I think I absorbed a lot of the heidushuijing's power," María said. "I feel it inside me. It's incredible!"

María flexed both arms proudly. "I'm even more powerful than when I had the heidushuijing! I feel amazing!"

"But what about what we just saw?" Toushirou asked. "Are you still on our side, or are you going to go back to Anyetuan?"

"Captain!" Rangiku admonished. She knew María would never turn against her.

María frowned. "I'm on your side," she said, "but not because I serve Soul Society. I serve no one from now on, but I love Rangiku and I'll do anything for her! Anyone who threatens her is my enemy, and that includes Anyetuan! I'm severing all ties to them and my past."

Alba sighed. "I guess this means we're gonna fight after all?" she asked. "I really hoped you'd come back to us after seeing what we went through."

"Yeah," Estrella chimed in.

Rangiku had enough. She walked briskly forward and moved between María and her old friends. "No, you're not gonna fight," she said sternly. "María, Alba and Estrella are still your friends even if they're on the other side. You don't want to hurt them and they don't want to hurt you. You know that."

She turned to Alba and Estrella. "And you two! What's more important, your friend or loyalty to an organization that's about to come crumbling down? Why don't you guys just get outta here and start a new life?"

Alba and Estrella were still for a moment. Then Alba glowed brightly, her transformation reversing itself. Her zanpakutou returned to her side in its sheathe. Estrella followed suit. Tears ran from Alba's eyes. She walked to María and embraced her tightly.

"I guess this is goodbye then, María," Alba said into María's ear.

"I guess so," María answered, her eyes also beginning to teat up. "I'm sorry things didn't turn out like you wanted."

Alba smiled through her tears. "Hey, at least you got a great new girlfriend and a lot more power. Maybe when all this is over we can spar again. Maybe you'll beat me now."

"Maybe." María smiled back at Alba. "I'll see you around, Alba."

Alba released María. Estrella came up to María next. She hugged him too. "Hey there, sorry about this," María said. "You're a cool guy, Estrella."

"Thanks María." Rangiku saw Estrella was weeping too. He backed away from her and sighed. "You know, I really wanted to be your boy friend, but there's no chance of that, eh?"

María smiled sadly. "No, not really."

"I thought so." Estrella walked to Alba's side, and the two vanished into another hall.

"Good bye you guys," María said after them. She turned back to Rangiku, still weeping, and hugged her tightly. Rangiku smiled and returned the hug.

"We'll see them again, I know it," Rangiku said. "I'd love to get to know Alba and Estrella better."

"I love you, Rangiku."

"You two…" Rangiku heard Toushirou stammer, "are you really…"

"That's right Captain," Rangiku answered. "We're officially in love."

Toushirou scratched his head, looking very uncomfortable. He avoided looking at them. "This is going to be very problematic if word gets out in Soul Society," he said. "But…"

He looked at Rangiku and smiled weakly. "If you really love Susana then I'll do everything in my power to make sure she's accepted."

Rangiku grinned, feeling tears of her own building up. "Thanks, Captain. You're the best!"

Toushirou's smile faded. "But first, we have to finish this. If we don't there might not be a Soul Society to return to!"

Rangiku and María immediately split. "Right," Rangiku said with a nod. She had nearly forgotten what they were doing in the first place.

The three ran ahead, ready for whatever awaited them.

* * *

Kurosaki—or rather, the thing that looked like Kurosaki—was on Resu in the blink of an eye. He grabbed Resu by his long white hair and slammed his face into the wall. Giggling manically, he ran ahead, pushing Resu's along the wall. The prince screamed and thrashed about but Kurosaki was unaffected.

Orihime watched, horrified. Just moments earlier she had wanted to kill Resu herself, but seeing him being treated so brutally by Kurosaki…

Resu was dropped to the floor. Kurosaki raised his zanpakutou above his head and swung down at the prone form. Orihime looked away, not willing to see Kurosaki take a life, even one as vile as Resu's. But she didn't hear Resu scream or the sound of flesh being sliced. Instead she heard something moving swiftly. She looked back and saw Resu had dodged the slice and was flicking more of his razor-edged cards. He was badly bloodied but otherwise seemed unhurt.

Kurosaki was not troubled by the card attack. He simply swung his sword back and launched another black and red crescent. It obliterated the cards and kept going. With a look of panic, Resu sped to the side, the crescent exploding behind him.

"_Paizuto: Kuizan Doudan!_" Resu fired off a flurry of his orange spades at Kurosaki. Kurosaki bade them no mind; he leapt straight into them, lashing every which way with his zanpakutou. Each spade was struck off course and bounced around drunkenly when they didn't shatter all together.

"_Is this all you've got?_" Kurosaki laughed. "_You're even more pathetic than I thought!_" He swung again at Resu, but Resu dodged to the side, only for Kurosaki to ram his fist directly into Resu stomach. Resu buckled under the force of Kurosaki's blow, his eyes bulging from their sockets, his mouth wide open in a silent scream. Kurosaki immediately followed up by slamming his knee into Resu's face. Resu's head snapped back, the force pulling the rest of his body with him. Orihime could see one of Resu's bloody fangs fly out of his mouth. The prince collapsed against the wall, his breath ragged and wet.

To Orihime's horror, Kurosaki slowly advanced on Resu, the tip of his zanpakutou's blade dragging along the floor, producing a nauseating screech. Resu's head lolled, staring wide-eyed at his enemy.

"Can't fight any more?" Kurosaki asked. "Too bad; I hoped you would last a little longer!"

He raised his zanpakutou, the tip aimed at Resu's chest. Orihime's knees shook and she felt ready to throw up. She no longer cared if Resu tried to rape her or kill her friends; no matter how much he may have deserved it, she didn't want to see him die, didn't want to hear him scream. Orihime didn't know what to do with Resu, but she just couldn't watch Kurosaki butcher him in front of her.

"Kurosaki, no!" She ran up behind him and tugged at his arm. "Stop it! That's enough!"

Kurosaki turned his head to her, and Orihime found herself paralyzed with terror. It wasn't Kurosaki looking at her, but a hollow, its face twisted with unholy glee. "I'll do whatever I want with him!" he giggled. His hand flew out, sending a sharp slap to the side of her face. With a cry Orihime stumbled back, clutching her stinging cheek. Hot tears sprang from her eyes again.

_Kurosaki, what happened to you?_

Kurosaki suddenly grabbed the jagged mask fragment on his face and began pulling on it. His expression was now a mixture of surprise and anger. "Damn you!" he swore. "Why are you coming back now? Let me kill him!"

"_No!_" Kurosaki yelled, this time in a voice Orihime recognized. "You hurt Ino'ue! I won't forgive you no matter how powerful you are!" With a loud scream he tore the mask completely off and hurled it to the side.

Orihime watched, confused and scared. Kurosaki was breathing heavily, but he seemed normal again. "I'm sorry Ino'ue," he said. "I'm sorry you had to meet _him_."

"Kurosaki…" she whispered. She smiled and walked slowly over to him. Her heart was still fluttering but she was beginning to calm down.

"What are you?" Resu wheezed. He looked up, his eyes wild. "_Just what are you!?_" His voice had risen sharply in tone, a far cry from his usual cool.

Kurosaki leaned his zanpakutou against his shoulder. "I'm a human who became a substitute shinigami, but I've got a hollow inside me, waiting to come out," he said.

Resu stared at Kurosaki as if he were totally mad.

* * *

Byakuya was growing frustrated.

Dehatsu zipped around him at such a speed that Senbonzakura Kageyoshi could not land any hits on him. Byakuya had trapped Dehatsu with Senkei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's walls of blades, but he too was confined until one of them fell.

More insulting that Dehatsu's speed was the fact that he was successfully fending of Byakuya's attacks, which were greatly enhanced by Senkei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, with only a pair of daggers.

Byakuya charged forward, a sword generated by Senbonzakura in each hand. He swung both deadly weapons at his enemy repeatedly, but Dehatsu merely smiled and casually deflected every blow. "I don't know about you," Dehatsu said in a sing-songy voice, "but I could do this _all_ day!"

Byakuya's eyes just barely narrowed. With a thought, he commanded five swords to detach from the walls and strike Dehatsu. As the swords zoomed down to their target, Dehatsu grinned, and suddenly flipped back, the blades narrowly missing him. As he fell back, Dehatsu brought his hands together and a black glow appeared between them.

"_Hetoshan!_" A long black pillar of energy fired from his hands and instantly obliterated the swords. The beam continued up where it struck and exploded against Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's wall.

Before Byakuya could react, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through his right shoulder and left thigh. He looked to find a dagger imbedded in each location.

Dehatsu was suddenly upon him, more daggers in his hands. He plunged both downwards. With his left sword, Byakuya deflected a dagger aimed at his throat, but the other such into his left shoulder with enough force to make him drop his swords.

_My left leg and both shoulders are now injured,_ Byakuya thought. _Have I really been forced to use Senkei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi against this lunatic and lost? _

A hard kick to the stomach banished Byakuya's thoughts. He stumbled back, but managed not to fall. Blood ran from his wounds, staining his elegant captain's uniform.

"And now," Dehatsu said, "I shall finish you and your pretty petal swords in one swoop!" He thrust both arms out, his fingers splayed out. His reiatsu began to rise at an astonishing rate. The pressure increased dramatically, crushing down on Byakuya. Senkei: Senbonzakura Kagetoshi's blades began to vibrate. One buckled and shattered, followed by another and another. Soon the swords close the Dehatsu had all reverted back to their original forms, scattering to the wind.

Byakuya stared; Dehatsu had been holding back his true reiryoku and it was higher than his own—and still it was rising. The reiatsu was absolutely monstrous; Byakuya had only felt a few that were stronger in his lifetime.

Dehatsu threw his arms wide. "_This is it! Baou Zakeruga!_" he shouted. Byakuya braced himself. He did not feel much save for a regret that he would die at the hands of such a vulgar fighter. He recognized that he had failed in his mission and that he should have killed as many of the ryoka soldiers as he could have before engaging Dehatsu. He thought of his adopted sister and his lieutenant, wondering if they were all right. No; Dehatsu had said Rukia's mind shattered. If he wasn't lying then he doubted Rukia could be helped.

_I failed to avenge you, Rukia,_ he thought. _I suppose this is what I deserve for letting both you and Hisana slip away._

Seconds passed; Dehatsu just stood there with his arms out, grinning. Nothing special happened. His reiatsu began to slowly lower.

"What was that?" Byakuya asked.

"Joking, joking, I was just joking!" Dehatsu laughed. "I don't have any such power as Baou Zakeruga! That's just silly! Only the King of the World of Devils has such a power."

Byakuya struggled to keep his rage in check. He cleared his thoughts of Rukia, of Renji, of being humiliated; he focused solely on winning against Dehatsu.

He slowly raised his right hand up and pointed at Dehatsu.

Dehatsu looked amused. "Oh?"

"_The sixty-first bakudou,_" Byakuya said, "_Rikujou Kourou._"

The six rods of light that composed the sixty-first bakudou slammed into Dehatsu's midsection, locking him into place.

"That's it?" Dehatsu asked. With a flex of his wings the light rods cracked.

Immediately, Byakuya focused on Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. He commanded it to collapse entirely upon Dehatsu while he was still concentrating on braking free from Rikujou Kourou. Every blade summoned by Senkei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi exploded into billions of tiny blades again, and they all converged upon Dehatsu at once just as he broke free. He had just enough time to look a little surprised as every single blade came down on him. There was a riotous explosion of pink, and Byakuya was knocked from his feet. Several of Senbonzakura's blades flew by, lacerating him. He covered his face with his arms to shield his eyes.

A moment later, Senbonzakura appeared at his side, sealed once more. Byakuya looked out at the devastation. The area of Seireitei they had been fighting was gone, replaced by a scooped-out crater. In the center of that crater was a man-sized tattered white ball covered in red stains. Byakuya understood immediately what it was he was looking at. He had failed.

The broken, bloody wings retracted, revealing Dehatsu, cut and bloodied, but otherwise in better shape than Byakuya himself was. He was panting, a relieved smile on his face.

"Wow, that sure was something!" he laughed. "You could've died in there! You really were really to take me down by all means…"

His wings flapped uselessly in the wind, the bones clearly broken in many spots. Dehatsu reached back and grabbed his left wing at the base of where it grew from his shoulder. He grimaced and wrenched hard, breaking the wing off with a sickening crack. It fell to the ground, bloody feathers drifting off. He repeated the procedure with his other wing.

"That really stings, but I can get another pair back home."

Byakuya couldn't believe it. There was no way he could fight back against Dehatsu. Not even Sakei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi had been enough to kill him.

Dehatsu slowly walked over to him. "That took a little out of me, actually," the marshal said. He suddenly grasped Byakuya's long hair and yanked him up painfully. Dehatsu bent Byakuya's head back, exposing his throat. He grinned wickedly, showing his fangs.

"Just a quick snack and I'll be in top form in no time at all!"

Teeth clenched, Byakuya closed his eyes and waited for the sting of Dehatsu's fangs. He could feel his breath on his neck, sending a most unpleasant tingling through his nerves. It revolted him that he had to die in such a manner.

Pain lanced through his neck. Byakuya grunted in disgust as he felt Dehatsu's lips sucking at the wounds in his throat. He felt polluted, like the fangs were tipped with venom. His body was hot, as if he had a raging fever. He twisted helplessly, but with every passing second he felt weaker. Nausea gripped his stomach. Byakuya was about to pass out…

"Hey, what're doing to him? That looks pretty sick."

Byakuya opened his eyes. _That voice…!_

From the corner of his eye he saw the towering form of Captain Kenpachi Zaraki approach, the tiny form of Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi clinging to his right shoulder.

Yachiru screamed in horror. "What're you doing to Bya!? You can't kiss him!"

Mercifully, Dehatsu withdrew his fangs and dropped Byakuya to the ground. Byakuya was never so thankful to be unceremoniously dropped. He lost consciousness a moment later.

* * *

Yoruichi continued to hammer Kagemaru with blows. The beast was only slightly inconvenienced by her assault.

_This is impossible,_ she thought. _I can't hurt the damned thing._

It made a lunge at her with its talons, sheering off a section of wall when she dodged.

_I'm going to need a different plan for this thing._

* * *

Gokuumaru's rapid thrusts blasted a series of holes in the roof. Suifeng sped around, avoiding Nouhara's attacks, but she was equally as fast. Every time Suifeng made a move Nouhara was right behind her.

From her analysis of her opponent, Suifeng decided the only real weakness Nouhara immediately displayed was that using a weapon with a longer reach meant she suffered a longer recovery time after attacking. It only helped a little considering Nouhara's speed, but it was all she had to go on.

An idea began to form in her head, although it would be risky.

Suifeng used shunpou to move away from Nouhara, still in sight but far enough that Nouhara would only be able to reach her either by following her directly or by extending Gokuumaru.

_She may have once had my position, but she can't know too much about Suzumebachi._

Nouhara continued after her. Suifeng kept up her dodging, but she kept her patience. She noticed Nouhara seemed irritated and rushed. Suifeng knew she could turn that against Nouhara as long as she kept a cool head.

Finally, Nouhara took the bait. She extended her zanpakutou to strike Suifeng from a long distance. She had to time it just right. As Gokuumaru extended, Suifeng activated shunpou, moving right along side Gokuumaru. Nouhara knew what had happened by then and had begun to retract Gokuumaru. She had only a few seconds…

Suifeng turned as she passed Nouhara herself. She passed by Nouhara's exposed back she immediately punched out with Suzumebachi. Nouhara activate her own shunpou a split second after Suzumebachi made contact with the skin.

Suifeng stopped and waited. Nouhara appeared a few meters away. Suifeng smiled with satisfaction when she saw a brief jet of blood from Nouhara's back. She couldn't see it, but her houmonka had appeared.

"You stabbed me," Nouhara said. "I guess that's the first attack you have to make."

"Correct," Suifeng said.

Nouhara relaxed, taking Gokuumaru in a more casual position. "I notice you had a lot of trouble when Kagemaru was fighting with me," she said. "Now that I'm alone though you were able to land a blow."

Suifeng kept her guard up. "Perhaps that's it," she said guardedly.

"So I just need a new partner, one more suited to your speed," Nouhara said. She twirled Gokuumaru over her head rapidly. "_Bankai! Bikouou Gokuumaru!_"

The staff shined with golden light. The tips at both ends split in half and filled out. Suifeng saw the zanpakutou taking a humanoid shape, roughly about Nouhara's own size. The transformation was complete, Suifeng beheld a handsome monkey-like youth dressed in red trousers and vest perched on Nouhara's shoulders. Both Nouhara and her monkey were posed like acrobats about to begin a show.

The two immediately sped off in opposite directions, and Suifeng suddenly found herself fending off attacks from both sides. Bikouou Gokuumaru was much faster than Kagemaru, and seemed to have even greater teamwork. Both of their blows came thick and fast, whirlwinds of punches and kicks. Suifeng blocked as many as she could, but it was overwhelming. A fist bashed her cheek as a kick got her in the chest. Someone struck her back just as a foot was driven into her stomach.

_Keep focused! I'll die if I lose my head!_

With her opponents blurring around her it was hard to tell one from the other. She only needed a clear shot at Nouhara. A jab hit her in the eye, forcing her to close it as it swelled. In desperation she reached out and grasped an arm. In the same movement she struck with Suzumebachi. The stinger sank into someone…

Suifeng looked with her good eye. She had pierced Nouhara's chest. The girl had frozen in her tracks, staring at the houmonka appearing on her chest.

"You couldn't have hit me," she said. "There's no way!" Her voice had gone shrill.

"I forgot to mention," Suifeng said, "that Suzumebachi must strike the same spot twice to take effect."

Nouhara went from being scared to being triumphant. "So then you failed to kill me."

Suddenly Gokuumaru stiffened. In a flash it returned to be a regular zanpakutou, clattering onto the rooftop. Nouhara turned to it, true horror dawning on her features.

Suifeng smiled darkly. "Not at all. You see, it isn't the point of entry I need to strike but the actual point of surface contact. I pierced you through the back and through the chest, hitting the same spot internally."

Nouhara staggered back, away from Suifeng. Then she turned and ran. "_You lied to me, Rubihatsu!_" she cried, her feet pounding the rooftops. "_You said I'd be together with my loves forever!_"

Suifeng wondered what Nouhara was ranting about. The panicked girl tripped and fell to her knees. She looked up, tears pouring down her face. Nouhara raised her right hand to the sky, as though trying to grab something out of reach.

"_Tara…Seia…_"

If Nouhara had anything else to say she never got to say it. The two houmonka glowed brightly for a second, then Nouhara's body disintegrated in a burst of light. They only evidence of her prior existence was her zanpakutou, which would forever more remain sealed.

Suifeng fell to her knees, gasping. Her body ached all over. She checked her right eye and found it to be swollen completely shut. There was no time to rest for her victory though; she needed to find Lady Yoruichi.

* * *

Uryuu stopped in his tracks. His hands, balled into fists, trembled. He wore a grimace. Up ahead were two powerful reiatsu, one of which belonged to a person he detested.

"What is it?" Hoshi asked. She stopped beside him.

"Don't you feel that?" Uryuu asked. "Two captain-strength shinigami are fighting—or rather, a shinigami turned an'uuto."

Hoshi narrowed her eyes. "Yes, an extremely powerful an'uuto is up ahead."

"And I know the other fighter," Uryuu said. "Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, a man I hate."

"Really?" A sly smile appeared on Hoshi's face. "Well then, let's just sit back until one of them dies. Then we'll kill the survivor."

Uryuu clenched his fist even tighter. "Kurotsuchi is responsible for the death of many Quincy, including my grandfather. He deserves death perhaps more than any other shinigami. And yet…"

Uryuu closed his eyes and sighed. "The bastard may be too important to allow him to die. If he's killed then Soul Society will have lost an extremely valuable player. It might be worth it to make sure he lives, for the time being anyway."

Hoshi popped another cigarette from a carton—she seemed to have a bottomless supply—and lit up. "You sure?" she asked through teeth clenched around her cigarette. "Think about it; maybe with him gone we can take over Soul Society together." She grinned. "What do you say?"

Uryuu stared at her. "You're joking, right?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, just messing with you."

Uryuu cast Hoshi a sidelong glance. It wasn't the first time he wondered about the moral compass of his new ally. He didn't have the luxury to think hard about it though; the sound of fighting were now echoing down to them. From around a corner ahead of them, Mayuri Kurotsuchi appeared, swinging that hideous zanpakutou of his. He seemed to be struggling, his lips drawn back in snarl. He was being forced back by something.

His zanpakutou was different somehow. Uryuu squinted his eyes, trying to get a good look at the deformed trident. Was that…ice covering it? Yes, that's what it looked like.

Kurotsuchi squirmed away, backing down the hall toward Uryuu and Hoshi. His opponent came into view, a pale busty brunette woman holding what looked to be long pale blue lance.

_No, it's not a lance,_ Uryuu thought. _That's a huge icicle!_

The woman rapidly thrust the icicle weapon at Kurotsuchi, the tip sharp enough to stab with. The woman noticed Uryuu and Hoshi behind Kurotsuchi, but her eyes quickly flicked back to her main enemy. Her attacks increased substantially, stabbing several holes through Kurotsuchi's chest.

Uryuu summoned Hetofujaku. It only took him a second to raise it, pull the string back, and fire off an arrow of dark energy. In one movement, the woman's hand snapped out, a bolt of white lightning blasting the arrow while she sent her icicle into Kurotsuchi's chest. The horrible man cried out wetly.

"Impressive," Kurotsuchi gurgled. "I had hoped you would have some personal inventions on hand to fight me with though."

He suddenly swung his zanpakutou in a wide arc. The woman's zanpakutou stabbed out again, catching Kurotsuchi's attack half way. She angled the long icicle upward, locking Kurotsuchi's weapon in place.

"I eschew toys and gimmicks," the woman said. "My work is life itself."

The icicle zanpakutou glowed an eerie dark blue. Blue ice formed all over Kurotsuchi's zanpakutou and hands. It began creeping down his arms. Kurotsuchi grunted, looking down at his frozen appendages.

The woman suddenly moved back and deftly flipped her zanpakutou around. The blunt other end was much thicker than the pointed end. The woman swung the blunt end hard and smashed it down on Kurotsuchi's hands and zanpakutou. Everything frozen shattered like glass.

Uryuu gasped. Kurotsuchi cursed loudly and stumbled back, landing on his backside. The woman stepped over the fallen captain contemptuously and approached Uryuu and Hoshi.

"Ever since day one," she said coldly, "since the first time I returned to this wretched plane of existence, everything went wrong. I was betrayed, my most powerful weapon stolen from me, and I just had to kill my lover."

She shouldered her zanpakutou and glared at the two intruders. Uryuu could feel a very dangerous reiatsu being kept in check, one churning dangerously beneath the surface.

"And now," she continued, "two gaiza come down here to just to get in my way. Really, what did I ever do to you?"

Hoshi picked the cigarette from her lips. She narrowed her eyes at the woman. "What did you ever do? You invaded my home world, not giving a fuck about you got hurt. I don't like it when Remuran, Rabia, or any of the other World of Darkness superpowers think they can do that."

She pointed her cigarette at the woman. "You can't do that because this is my home! You don't have the right! The Exquisite Sovereigns can just fuck off!"

A ball of bright red light appeared at the end of Hoshi's fingers, obliterating the cigarette. "_Rin'yan!_" she called. She launched her attack at the woman.

Uryuu gasped. There was no way rin'yan could be enough to harm the woman.

"Power is all the right we need," the woman retorted. With her zanpakutou she simply batted rin'yan away like a baseball.

"It's something a worthless little ragamuffin like you refuses to understand," she continued, not missing a beat. "Now step aside or I'll kill you."

_We can't win against her!_ Uryuu took Hoshi hand and pulled her the side. The woman passed by them with out a second glance. Uryuu lost sight of her a moment later.

Kurotsuchi coughed. "Boy," he rasped, "come here."

Uryuu walked over to the armless captain. Kurotsuchi looked pathetic without his arms, but Uryuu still didn't get too close. "What?" he asked.

"None of us can beat Tara Niou on our own," said Kurotsuchi. "I'm going to need your help. In my haori is a vial of sea-green liquid. You need to retrieve that for me."

Uryuu wanted the man to slowly starve to death right there, but he was aware that neither he nor Hoshi could fight Niou. Kurotsuchi couldn't either, it seemed, but at least Kurotsuchi had many tricks up his sleeve.

Fighting back his distaste, Uryuu opened the haori and plucked some vials from the pockets. A few were the same green substance he had injected into himself after Uryuu had destroyed one of his arms. At the end of each vial was a syringe. Uryuu took the vial and injected into back shattered stumps. Immediately flesh bubbled out grotesquely, muscle and bone tissues regenerating rapidly. Kurotsuchi cackled gleefully.

"Excellent! We may have a chance now!"

"But your zanpakutou has been smashed to pieces." Uryuu motioned to the frozen chunks scattered on the floor.

"That will not be a problem." Kurotsuchi took the hilt and produced another vial, this time a sickly yellow color. He applied a tiny drop to the broken hilt and began sticking pieces to the hilt. The pieces glowed and fused together, reforming into a complete, sealed zanpakutou.

"My zanpakutou bonding agent gets its first use in the field," Kurotsuchi said, giving it an experimental swing. "Good as new."

Kurotsuchi pushed himself to his feet. "I allowed my emotions to get the better of me. I wanted to meet Niou so badly that I rushed down here as soon as possible. I should have let you encounter her first then come down. I could have gotten some valuable data. Oh well."

Uryuu gritted his teeth. Perhaps he should have just killed Kurotsuchi when he had the chance.

* * *

When Prince Resu was growing up he had learned very quickly that the appearance of class and intelligence was what everyone strived for in the Imperial House of Remuran. Anyone who deviated from this was quickly ostracized from the rest by their peers.

Which made it perfect for when Resu wanted to conduct his "special activities" in private. He just had to act dull and harmless, and his siblings largely left him alone, convinced he was a talentless idiot. That suited him just fine; when people thought you were stupid they underestimated you. You could pull all kinds of tricks and they wouldn't know until it was too late. No one suspected him of raping and killing the occasional untermensch girl (hardly anyone cared either—a few dead untermensch was nothing to worry about. To enhance the illusion he even intentionally failed the Übermensch Examinations twice.

His father saw through the ruse though, and decided Resu would make for a fair assassin. Resu found himself killing untermenschen that Rubihatsu found to be "troublesome" and needed to be done away with. There was an art to that sort of assassination though; you couldn't just kill every single visible untermensch that caused trouble. It had to look like some had died for non-political reasons, like being victims of robberies gone wrong. Others Resu just had to ignore because Rubihatsu didn't want anyone to think someone was trying to kill them.

His fun with the untermensch came to an end one day a few years before. He was summoned to Rubihatsu's office for a private meeting. Resu had knelt down, fearing his father. "Father, what have you summoned me for?"

"Resu," Rubihatsu said, "the time has come for you to truly prove your worth as my son."

Resu's head had leapt; finally, his father had found a "rite of passage" task for him. "Please tell me, father."

Rubihatsu leaded forward in his seat, towering over Resu. "You will accompany the Duchess Tara Niou on her operation in Hueco Mundo and provide assistance in her takeover of Soul Society."

"I understand," Resu said.

"This is more than a mere mission of conquest," Rubihatsu said. "I have been able to confirm that there is a relic deep beneath Soul Society, one imbued with the power of Rireishi herself."

Resu was startled. He was really being tasked on something so important? If he were to discover one of Rireishi-made artifacts scatted across the Multiverse himself than his status in Rubihatsu's eyes would rise immeasurably.

"I thank you, father, for this opportunity," he said gratefully.

Rubihatsu's crimson eyes bored into Resu's—eyes exactly like Resu's own. "Know this Resu: It will be a very delicate operation. I am counting on you to perform exceptionally. I expect no less than near-perfection. That is what separates the übermenschen from the untermenschen, the ambition and power to succeed."

It had not gone at all like Resu planned though. For years, Lady Niou stalled to review her notes and plans, carefully studying hollows and observing the experimental heipomian soldiers. At the rate things were going, nothing was ever going to get done. Something had to happen, and soon. He would not be cheated out of his chance for glory by an incompetent duchess.

He chose the heipomian María Susana for his plan. Using Dream Weaver techniques he had learned in secret, Resu programmed her to steal the heidushuijing and take it to Soul Society, where she would surely alert the shinigami to the an'uuto presence. It had not worked out as well as he had hoped, but at least Niou had been forced to act at last. It had been a mistake on his part to attempt to rape Princess Piglet, but it worked out too for she may be even more valuable than the artifact. If he brought both Piglet and the artifact back then Rubihatsu would reward him beyond his dreams.

All those dreams were in danger of crashing around him though, brought down by the youth standing before him. Resu stared at the orange-haired boy, the human/shinigami/hollow freak. Trembling, he bunched his hands into fists. For the first time in many years, his mask of blandness slipped.

"Am I supposed to accept someone like you is going to defeat me?" he asked. He bared his fangs at the boy. "You, who cares only about maintaining the status quo and maintaining ambitionless lives?"

He forced himself back to his feet and pulled himself to his full height. He jabbed his finger at the boy and Piglet accusingly. "I have big plans, and I'm not going to let you or Piglet or Niou ruin them for me!"

"Are you done yet?" the boy asked. The disgust and loathing on his face was apparent. Resu felt himself grow more infuriated.

"I'm simply _better_ that you!" Resu cried. "Smarter, more ambitious, and the product of good breeding! You're beneath even the lowest untermensch!"

"Like you know anything about me, you sick little shit!" the boy yelled back. "At least I'm not a rapist."

Resu couldn't stand it any more. He had to kill the boy quickly. A pity; he would have liked to slowly kill him first, but the nasty boy was a dangerous brute. He might get chopped up if he tried to draw to confrontation out any further.

_The untermenschen, the low people, the have-nots…their envy knows no bounds and will drag the rest of us down with them if they can! I won't go like that! I have to win!_

"_Paizuto: Shishu Hasseku Taipau!_" Although he couldn't see it happening, Resu knew the four suits above his head were spinning wildly, merging into a glowing blue orb. He looked to his enemy, wanting to see his fear before his certain obliteration. Instead, the boy stood his ground. His face was arrogantly determined, as though he actually thought he could survive! He was clearly too stupid to feel fear. Resu couldn't stand it; one of his greatest pleasures in life was to see the fear of people he was about to kill them. How stupid was the boy to not feel fear? He simply deserved to die.

"_Fire!_" The four suits released a flaming blue blast of artillery, one after another. The boy ran forward, that unforgivably ugly zanpakutou of his at the ready. He dodged Resu's shots entirely and swung his zanpakutou back to swing at him.

"I wasn't aiming at you," Resu smirked. The terror Resu wanted to see so much finally appeared on the boy's face. He turned around to see the artillery streaking past Piglet narrowly, making her garments and hair billow out. She was crying out most beautifully, a look of sublime terror and confusion on her pretty face. The artillery detonated behind her loudly. The entire back area of the hallway was demolished in an instant. They could attempt to escape that way, but Resu would simply shoot them in the back.

Resu grinned, his tactic having worked perfectly. His earlier shots had been aimed to miss Piglet, but still seem like he was shooting at her. Even if the boy understood his intent with Piglet, he would try to protect her. He fired another shot at Piglet, this time aiming directly at her. As predicted, the boy rushed over to defend her. There was no time to do anything but try to shield her.

_Your chivalry shall be your death!_ he thought giddily.

"No! Kurosaki!" Piglet shrieked in horror. "_Kurosaki!_"

A bright white light exploded from Piglet's body, engulfing her and the boy. Bright enough that Resu had to step back and shield his eyes. "What? What is that?" he asked. What trickery was that?

The artillery froze just before hitting the boy, as though the light were repulsing it. The light grew stronger. Resu had to look away, his sensitive an'uuto eyes watering. He couldn't see what made the booming sound that came next. He had no idea where the blue blaze that crashed down upon him came from. All he could think about as the four suits exploded on top of him after the artillery was thrown back into it was that his enemies had simply gotten lucky.

* * *

Kurosaki blinked confusedly. At the end of the hallway where Resu had been standing moments before a large explosion had blown everything away. A pile of smoking debris was all that was left of that area. Resu was nowhere in sight.

"What just happened?" Kurosaki asked. Orihime was still shaking like a leaf.

"I—I don't know," she said. "You were going to shield me but I knew that would really hurt you. I didn't want you to do it, then that light appeared, and then Resu just exploded. That last shot didn't hit us."

They moved cautiously down to the rubble. Orihime's stomach lurched violently; lying in the rubble was Resu battering, bloody form. His once fine coat was now torn and burnt all over. His skin was bruised and smeared with blood. He looked like a broken doll. Was he…dead? Orihime was horrified that she might have killed him. Resu was a horrible person, but if he was dead then Orihime felt no satisfaction at all from it.

Resu coughed and opened his eyes. Orihime gasped a little and took a step back, surprised. Kurosaki drew his zanpakuotu again. "Still alive, huh?"

A look of pure terror crossed Resu's face. "No, please, don't kill me!" he whimpered. "I can get you whatever you want! Please, just let me live!"

"_Shut up!_" Kurosaki slammed his fist into the side of Resu's face. The force drove Resu's head into the ruble with a loud crash. The young prince went completely still, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and his tongue lolled. Blood leaked from his mouth due to all the teeth that had been knocked out.

Before Orihime could reflect how awful Resu looked, Kurosaki's zanpakutou hovered over Resu. Kurosaki wore a look of pure hate, his lips drawn back over his teeth. Orihime knew what was coming next, and it turned her stomach.

"No, Kurosaki." She grabbed his arm. "Please don't do it," she pleaded quietly.

"This bastard doesn't deserve to live, not after what he's done to you," Kurosaki said. His eyes glinted harshly in the weak light.

"This is enough," Orihime said. "Let's just find Seia."

Kurosaki frowned, but he returned his zanpakutou to being a big cleaver. He shouldered it and stepped over Resu. "All right, that's what we were doing in the first place."

Orihime smiled. "Thank you, Kurosaki."

They ran on. Eventually they came to a large open door. Orihime looked inside. It was a vast chamber, a throne room by all appearances. A short flight of stairs lead up to a raised area with a throne near the back of the room. None of this mattered to her though; what mattered was the bloody female form lying still on the stairway.

Time seemed to stop. Kurosaki, the room, everything in the world vanished save for the figure and the blood around it. Orihime's heart ceased beating for a moment. Her first step was slow, but her feet increased in speed. She didn't want to look but she had to, she had to be sure even though she dreaded the answer she would get.

A few steps more and she saw more of the body, could see the ebony flesh, the pouting lips, the thick black hair, the full bosom, the scholarly glasses, and the large ugly gash on the throat. Orihime slowed down, her wide eyes releasing tears she couldn't feel. There was no doubt about it—the body was Seia Kazama's

"No," Orihime whispered. "No, no, _no_, _no!_" She broke down, falling to her knees by Seia. She grabbed Seia's arm, pushing it back and forth, causing Seia to wiggle back and forth. She was cold, terribly cold.

"_Seia! Seia, get up! Please get up!_" Hot tears rolled down Orihime's face and splashed against the unmoving face. Seia didn't open her eyes or respond in any way.

Orihime crumbled over her lover, sobbing. "_No, Seia, don't go…Don't leave me…_"

"I'm sorry Ino'ue," Kurosaki said softly behind her. She hardly felt him gently place a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "It's my fault. If I had beaten Resu faster then maybe…"

Orihime didn't hear him. She slowly sat up and looked down at her lover. Seia looked peaceful in death, almost like she were sleeping. Only the awful slash in her throat and all the blood staining her clothes told the truth. Without thinking, Orihime raised her hand above the prone figure.

"_Souten Kisshun, I reject,_" she whispered. A golden half-oval appeared over Seia. She didn't really know what to expect—you couldn't just heal the dead like it was a sickness—but Orihime had to try.

"_Souten Kisshun, I reject!_" she said again, more forceful this time. She couldn't see any changes. She shut her eyes in frustration.

"_I reject! I reject! I REJECT!_" Orihime started to sob.

"_Souten Kissun…I…reject…_"

"_Ino'ue, look!_" It was Kurosaki. "_Open your eyes!_"

Orihime did so—and her breath caught in her throat. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? No, Kurosaki could see it too. The wound in Seia's throat was closing, the blood flowing black into her. Seia stirred and her eyes opened. She gazed up into Orihime's eyes. She stopped her healing, hardly believing what she was seeing.

"Seia?" she asked, nervous and bewildered.

"Orihime?" Seia responded, sounded equally amazed.

Orihime wept again, but this time her tears were of pure joy. She hugged Seia tightly, tears pouring out. "Seia, you're alive!" she sobbed. "Oh Seia!"

"Orihime," Seia said in an awed whispered, "I was dead. You…you returned me to life. You're a miracle worker; no, a goddess…"

She returned the hug and suddenly kissed her. Orihime readily accepted the warm touch of her lips. Orihime kissed her repeatedly, not stopped in fear that Seia would go away again if she released her.

"I love you," she said.

Seia's face grew guilty. Orihime stopped. "Seia?"

"No you don't." Seia looked away, her eyes sad.

_What?_ Orihime looked at Seia. "What do you…"

"It's a lie," Seia said. "Those dreams you had, it wasn't because you were infatuated with me; it was Tara manipulating you. She has power over dreams, and she wanted to make you think you loved me so you would want to go back to Remuran with me. It was all just a trick. Tara told me so before she killed me."

Orihime fell silent. She grappled with the new information. So she had been deceived by Tara Niou into falling in love with Seia? Orihime couldn't believe that such a plan would actually work.

_Not unless…_

"Seia," Orihime said softly, "for Miss Niou to make such a scheme work, I think I would have to have a little love for you first. Maybe all she did was find that little bit of love and make it bigger." She fixed Seia with a serious look. "But even if that's not happened, I don't care! It feels real to me, and that's all that matters! I love you now and I can't change that. You can't tell me those things we did earlier weren't real, and I'd gladly do them all again with you right now!"

Seia blushed bright red. "Can we perhaps talk about that when that boy other there is gone?"

Orihime paused, realizing she had forgotten about Kurosaki. She turned around to see Kurosaki's staring at them, his eyes bugging from his head.

"Erm…" he said, looking intensely uncomfortable. He shuffled his feet and looked away.

Orihime's face went hot. She felt terrible, blurting all of that out in front of Kurosaki, completely forgetting about him. She loved Seia, but she loved Kurosaki too. She felt terribly conflicted. By saying all of that did she just bar Kurosaki from getting closer to her? She hoped not, but…

Orihime forced a smile but she couldn't hide her furious blush. "Oh, Kurosaki I'd like you to meet Seia Kazama. Seia, this is my good friend Ichigo Kurosaki."

"…Hi," Kurosaki said flatly to Seia.

"…Hello," came Seia's equally flat response.

Orihime cringed. Things weren't getting off on the right foot with them.

Seia got up on her feet. She walked over to the side of the room and picked something up. Orihime saw it was her zanpakutou. "What happened when I was gone?" she asked.

"Kuchiki and I ran into Kurosaki after you left us," Orihime answered. "Kuchiki left, but Kurosaki and I came back to help you against Miss Niou. Prince Resu stopped us from going further, but we beat him. Then we found you."

"What was Resu doing out of his cell?" Seia asked.

"He seemed to be there to take me to Remuran," said Orihime. "He acted like he wasn't in trouble any more."

Seia made a noise of distaste. "He should rot in prison or be executed! If the Exquisite Sovereigns ordered Tara to release him…I want nothing to ever do with them or Remuran any more."

Another door flung open. Orihime turned to look, and saw Captain Hitsugaya, Rangiku, and a stocky girl with spiky hair come inside. Orihime thought she bore a slight resemblance to Tatsuki, but much more muscular. They looked alarmed.

"Ino'ue!" Hitsugaya shouted as he unsheathed his zanpakutou. "Get away from that woman!"

Rangiku and the new girl brought their zanpakutou out too. "Seia Kazama!' the girl said accusingly. "Niou's number-two woman! She's really dangerous guys! Be careful!"

"No!" Orihime cried. She waved her arms. "Seia's not your enemy!"

"Oh, it's you people," Seia said, not sounding pleased at all. She walked over and squinted at the stocky girl. "María Susana? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," the girl said distrustfully.

"What are you doing here?" Seia asked. "Was your plan the entire time to conquer Anyetuan using the heidushuijing?"

"No, I'm here to save Rukia Kuchiki," said Susana. "She defended me, so I owe her!"

"She's been rescued, thanks to Seia," Orihime said.

"What? Why would you do that?" Susana asked.

"I decided the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns were too untrustworthy after they had Kuchiki's mind manipulated to their own ends to trap Orihime in their lies, so I freed both of them."

"Oh." Susana actually seemed disappointed by the news. "Well, I guess we can still bring Niou down then."

In a flash, Seia was upon Susana, grabbing the front of her garment. Hitsugaya and Rangiku aimed their zanpakutou at Seia, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Seia, what're you doing?" Orihime shouted.

"Listen to me carefully," Seia hissed darkly. "Under no circumstances are you to kill Tara Niou!"

"And why's that?" Hitsugaya asked.

A cold reiatsu washed over the chamber. Orihime felt chilled to her bones. Hitsugaya and Rangiku backed off Susana and looked around in shock.

"This reiatsu…" Rangiku said, trailing off.

Seia looked terrified. "Tara!" she cried. "Orihime, get out of here!"

Orihime looked over at the throne. Standing beside it was Tara Niou, a long blue lance in her hand. Her face was hard and cold. She walked over to the top of the short stairs and looked out at the group assembled.

"Seia," she whispered, "how are you alive?"

Seia moved defensively in front of Orihime. "It is because of Orihime," she snarled. "This power, I can never allow it to fall into Rubihatsu's hands! If you have any sense left Tara you'd recognize that!"

Niou's eyes went narrow. "I'm doing what's best for the Empire, our home! Rubihatsu's the only man who makes sense now, and his plans are ultimately what's best for the Multiverse. Surely you wouldn't try to return to Soul Society now!"

"I hate Soul Society," Seia said, "and I want to remake the system completely. But from what I learned today, Remuran may be far worse in the long run!"

Niou glared back harshly. "First Susana, now you, Seia. Seia, I still love you too much to allow Rubihatsu to kill you, so I'll just have to kill you again, and if you're wise you'll stay dead this time."

She turned to Susana. "You. Return the heidushujing at once."

Susana grinned. Sorry, but the power's all inside me now! The crystal's gone forever though."

"Give up, Niou," Hitsugaya said. "You can't win this."

"We have you surrounded!" From behind Niou came Ishida, Kurotsuchi, and a delinquent-looking girl in a sailor uniform and a leather jacket. "I'll be taking your research now!" Kurotsuchi sneered.

Niou trembled on her raised area. Her eyes darted around, taking everything in. "I won't be humiliated," she seethed. "I won't be disgraced by the likes of you. I may have lost the heidushuijing, but I can at least bring the remaining power back with Ino'ue. As for the rest of you…"

She raise her lance in the air. "…you will experience Hell and learn that it isn't a place of fire but a place of ice."

She rammed the pointed end of her lance into the floor. It began to glow a bright, cold blue. The temperature began to drop further. Orihime's teeth chattered; she was beginning to feel very fearful.

"_Bankai: Hakkan Narakuhi._"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File**_

**Suzuko Nouhara's zanpakutou**

Name: _Gokuumaru_ (悟空丸 (ごくうまる), _lit._ Wukong Circle)

Shikai: Gokuumaru transforms into a long red staff. It is activated by the command "laugh" (笑え _warae_), followed by Suzuko slamming the zanpakutou's hilt into its sheath.

Bankai: Named _Bikouou Gokuumaru_ (美猴王悟空丸 (びこうおうごくうまる), _lit._ Handsome Monkey King Wukong Circle). Gokuumaru transforms into a handsome monkey-like boy roughly Suzuko's own height dressed in a red vest and red trousers.

Abilities: Gokuumaru can rapidly extend and retreat. A strike from Gokuumaru is comparable to a rifle shot. As Bikouou Gokuumaru, it can fight along side Suzuko as an independent entity. Bikouou Gokuumaru can match its owner in terms of speed and stretch and acts as a perfect partner with her.

**Baou Zakeruga**

Baou Zakeruga (巴皇挫祁留賀 (バオウザケルガ) _Baou Zakeruga_, _lit_. greatly desire imperial crush ample stop joy) is stated by Marshall Fuisa Dehatsu to be his ultimate attack, but he was only joking. Apparently the power is real but it belongs to the King of the World of Devils.

**Paizuto: Shishu Hasseku Taipau**

Paizuto: Shishu Hasseku Taipau (牌術・四種花色大砲 (パイズト・シシュハッセクタイパウ) _Paizuto: Shishu Hasseku_, _lit_. card arts: four suits cannon) is a paizuto technique that creates a large dark energy cannon from card magic.

* * *

_Author's note: Here it is, the penultimate chapter of _Bleach: Creatures of the Night_. There is only one chapter left before it all ends. It was a rush getting all of this done. It felt especially good to write Resu get what he had coming for so many chapters now. I feel sad about Suzuko though; she wasn't really a bad person, I think, just overly dependant on the opinions of Tara regardless of whether they had merit. I ultimately just couldn't kill off Alba and Estrella like I had planned, not after rewatching María's memories._

_My first poll had less than stellar results. Only two people voted, and I know exactly who those two people are. How depressing. Oh well, it seems María, Tara, and Seia are very well liked with two votes each. Resu, Suzuko, Mion, Alba, Estrella, and the Exquisite Sovereign each got a single vote. No one else merited any votes._

_My new poll is about whether I should use Japanese honorifics in the future. This has been something I agonized over ever since starting out here. I am Japanese and am more comfortable with the traditional honorifics. Sometimes it is fun to think about appropriate English equivalents, but I also think some subtle nuances are lost in the translation. On the other hand, perhaps my readers aren't as familiar with Japanese honorifics and would be confused by their use. _

_Well, anyway, be sure to read and review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you will stay for the final chapter of _Bleach: Creatures of the Night_. Also, I will say right now that no, Byakuya will not turn into an an'uuto. _


	21. God Hates Us All

**BLEACH ****暗黒の神話**

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night**_

* * *

_I do not own_ Bleach_. It belongs to Tite Kubo,_ Shuukan Shounen Jump_, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network._

* * *

**21. ****ゴッド・ヘイツ・アス・オール**

**21. God Hates Us All**

"_Hikoutsu Taihou!_"

Chad pulled back his armored right arm and thrust his first forward. An orb of white reiryoku was expelled at the same time Abarai's bankai unleashed its attack. The attacking heipomian, a curvy woman and an androgynous boy, vanished into the explosion, their faces shocked.

"These guys aren't that strong," Chad observed.

"Yeah, you're right," Abarai said as the smoke cleared. A wall had been completely destroyed by their attacks and Chad could see their enemies lying still in the rubble. He felt bad about what he had to do, but the heipomian did attack them first.

"If this is the best they can throw at us then everyone must be doing okay."

Abarai nodded. "Let's just look for Rukia."

"Right."

* * *

Niou plunged her icy lance into the floor where it started to glow with a cold blue shine. Rangiku knew what was coming next. For the first time since arriving at Anheisi she began to truly feel afraid; she couldn't hope to fight against a captain-level shinigami, especially not one with bankai activated. She was surrounded by powerful fighters though, including her own captain, so all was not lost. She just had to be careful not to get in the way.

_Not to get in the way?_ Was that that really the best she could do? The feeling of helplessness infuriated her, but it wasn't as if she could do anything about it then. If she survived she would become stronger.

"_Bankai: Hakkan Narakuhi,_" Niou stated somberly. At once ice formed around the spot Niou buried her lance and rapidly spread out. Rangiku stepped back, startled. The temperature was quickly descending, her breath appearing in the air. Hearing a strange noise above her, she looked up to see ice spreading on the ceiling. The walls were freezing over too. The floor beneath her grew stingingly cold.

Toushirou scowled and stepped back to Rangiku's side. "This is bad," he whispered to her. "My bankai replenishes itself by drawing in water. Nearly all the condensation in the immediate area has been frozen over though, and that limits my bankai's effectiveness."

"You still have the most powerful ice-based zanpakutou ever though, Captain," Rangiku said encouragingly. "Go get her! I'm gonna protect Orihime."

He nodded curtly. "Good idea. You do that."

Rangiku looked over to see Orihime healing the heavy injuries Ichigo had. In moments he looked completely rejuvenated. She made her way over, the icy floor making every step a chore. "Don't worry about Orihime, Ichigo!" she said. "I'll keep her safe!"

"Thanks Rangiku," the young substitute shinigami said. He gave her a brief smile, then moved forward.

Rangiku put her arms protectively around Orihime's waist, her breasts squishing into the girl's back. Orihime was shivering in the cold, but she smiled weakly at Rangiku's help. "Thanks Rangiku," she said. "You're really warm. Please don't freeze on my account."

"My pleasure, Orihime. Gotta keep you safe."

Kazama looked back at them, her eyes boring into Rangiku's. "See to it that you do," she said in a hard tone. "It will only get colder as time goes on."

"So we just gotta get her now!" Mion yelled. She pointed her finger at Niou's back and yelled, "_Rin'yan!_" A ball of energy fired off from the tip. Ichigo changed his shikai into bankai and ran forward to face Niou. María and Toushirou drew their zanpakutou again too. Niou was going to be struck from nearly every side at once.

Niou smirked. "_Abutahi._" Immediately a snowy wind spiraled around her and blew outward with blizzard force, blowing Ichigo back entirely. Niou vanished from view. Soon freezing winds blanketed everything with snow. Rangiku's teeth chattered and she hugged Orihime tighter. They were going to have to survive a miniature blizzard.

* * *

Hotsuyoku slumped in his seat. He never needed a stiff drink so badly in his life. The security feed had shown him everything; not only had Prince Resu been defeated but the heidushuijing had been destroyed, its power absorbed by the traitorous María Susana.

The scientist rubbed his temples wearily. Without the heidushuijing the invasion of Soul Society could not continue. The whole point was to drive the shinigami back deeper into Soul Society then use the crystal to open another path to Remuran, allowing the reinforcements on standby to completely overwhelm and crush all resistance. Without the crystal Dehatsu's forces would eventually be overpowered by the numerically superior shinigami, even with Dehatsu's formidable power. Effectively, the entire operation had just been ruined.

Hotsuyoku had no choice. He entered the code to contact Rubihatsu himself. The Emperor would not be at all pleased, and it was never a good thing to be the bearer of bad news, but he needed Rubihatsu's permission to have Dehatsu recalled.

"This is Pasatsu Hotsuyoku," he said into the line. He watched as Lady Niou activated her bankai over the monitor. "Get me Emperor Rubihatsu! It's an emergency!"

* * *

Rukia had been wandering the fortress for so long she lost track of time. No matter how far she ran or how many doors she opened there was more she had to go through. She was thoroughly sick of the place by then, and she had to get help to Soul Society.

A huge reiatsu washed over her, nearly knocking her to the floor. She gasped and struggled not to fall.

As soon as it appeared it had disappeared. Rukia glanced around, terrified. What made that?

"I have to get outta here," she muttered. She just hoped Ichigo and the others were safe, but she had the feeling that huge burst of reiatsu had something to do with them.

* * *

The ryoka soldier had been cut down just seconds before. It lay sprawled on the floor on its back, blood leaking from a deep gash running vertically through the torso. It wasn't moving.

Isane Kotetsu couldn't hold back her curiosity any further. She just had to see what was under the helmet. What were the ryoka underneath their helmets? Humans? Hollows? Something else entirely? What if under the helmet she found—_shudder_—_kamaboko?_ That was impossible, of course, but what if…

She scampered quickly over to the body and grasped the menacing black helmet in her hands. With a hard wrench the helmet popped off. Underneath was not a human or a hollow or even kamaboko. What was underneath was a woman with perfectly white skin and hair. Her hair had been shaved down to a buzz cut and her ears were pointed. Peeking from the corners of her mouth were two sharpened canine teeth. Her eyes were closed in death. Her features were somewhat alien, but otherwise she looked like a shinigami or human.

Green flame suddenly spread over the woman's features. Isane cried out and dropped the helmet. The helmet landed at her feet and burst into the same green flames. The entire body was engulfed in green fire. Isane watched, mystified, as the body withered under the flames, imploding into itself. Within seconds the flames dissipated, leaving only fine gray ash behind.

"All of them have combusted minutes after death."

Isane looked over her shoulder to see Captain Retsu Unohana solemnly looking at the pile of ash from a distance. "Captain Unohana!"

"This enemy doesn't want us to learn anything about them," Captain Unohana said. "Even their weapons and armor combust to keep us from studying anything closely."

"Or maybe they don't want any evidence they tried to invade," Isane suggested.

Something roared in the distance and a huge armored figure stepped into view. It was incased in green armor and the head was covered entirely by a dragon-like helmet. "Pitiful shinigami!" it roared in a male voice. "Not even a captain can stand against me, Bowie Stardust!"

Captain Unohana sighed and unsheathed Minazuki. "I suppose I must do this then…" she said with soft regret. "Isane, please step back."

Isane dived for cover, not wanting to be close by when the fighting started. _That poor fool has no idea what he's in for!_ she thought.

* * *

Fuisa Dehatsu charged at the towering Captain Kenpachi Zaraki with a dagger in each hand. His feet left the floor as he propelled himself up to take a swing. One slash across the remaining eye to blind him and another across the throat to finish him. Simple. For a captain the huge shinigami didn't seem very smart.

Fuisa swung his left hand out…and struck only air. His right hand came out, the dagger striking not flesh but hard steel. The blade deflected off the dented, chipped zanpakutou. Zaraki had moved his head just enough to avoid being blinded and had deflected the dagger with his zanpakutou.

Fuisa flipped nimbly backward before Zaraki could retaliate and skidded to a halt about seven meters away. He flashed a smile at the captain; so there was more to him after all? Fuisa found he was more interested now. Perhaps it wouldn't do to just kill Zaraki right away.

"Coming at me with just daggers?" said Zaraki with a grin. "I like that. That takes some serious balls. What's your name?"

Fuisa smiled courteously and bowed with exessive flourish. "I, my good man, am Field Marshall Fuisa Dehatsu of the Imperial Remuranian Army."

"That's a pretty fancy title," Zaraki said. "I'm just Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of the 11th Division."

"So I've heard," Fuisa said.

Behind him he could sense that little girl friend of Zaraki's tending to Kuchiki. His smile widened and he swung his left arm back, his palm opened out to them. "_Hetoshan!_"

The wide beam of darkness blasted from his palm. Even Zaraki looked mildly surprised that he would attack the helpless Captain Kuchiki and the little lieutenant instead of him.

"_Ah!_Hey!" the little girl protested. Fuisa could feel that he had not been successful in killing them. With only his ability to sense reiatsu to tell him what was happening back there he had only a general idea, but it seemed she had picked up Kuchiki and jumped over his Hetoshan. She was somewhere to his left, about eight meters up…

"_Remudan!_" Blasts of compressed dark energy exploded from his palm in a barrage at the two. He had fired off a nice little flurry when Zaraki suddenly closed the gap between them. He leapt back before Zaraki could neatly bisect him.

"Hey, _I'm_ your opponent!" he snarled. "That's pretty low trying to get them when they're not expecting it."

Fuisa sighed; maybe Zaraki wasn't as interesting as he previously thought. He was just another fool stuck on notions of "honorable fighting", as if there were any such thing.

"Misdirect your enemy. It's an elemental rule of warfare, Captain Zaraki."

"Warfare? Shit, I don't care about warfare," Zaraki said. "I just wanna fight you. Come on and fight!"

Fuisa drew more daggers from his coat. "If you insist…"

* * *

María could only see twisting snow. Every direction she looked there was more of the frozen white stuff swirling around. Fenmuji clutched in her cold fingers, she kept turning around, trying to catch Niou sneaking up behind her. Niou's reiatsu seemed to be everywhere. It was impossible to tell where she was.

_I have to be careful; I may slash an ally by accident in this blizzard!_

"_Where are you?_" Kurosaki yelled into the wind. "_Come out where we can see you, Niou!_"

"_Tara!_" came the voice of Seia Kazama. "_Show yourself Tara!_"

What happened that turned Kazama against Niou? Something very big must've happened. María was grateful to have such a powerful person on her side, at least temporarily. What would happen when Niou was defeated? Would Kazama become their enemy again?

María was a hardy girl, but the cold was getting even to her. If she released Fenmuji she would warm up a little. She supposed it was the only chance she had.

She was about to call for Fenmuji when she felt something deep within her. He dark power of the heidushuijing was resonating inside. The cold felt her body, replaced by a feeling of raw, surging power. Fenmuji quivered in her hand. No, not Fenmuji; that was a name given to the weak imitation of her hollow self sealed within. She had powers as a hollow that had she lost upon becoming a heipomian. The heipomian were flawed creations at best, inferior to the true arrancars. Now her zanpakutou sang to her, telling her that its name wasn't Fenmuji any longer.

_I might as well give this a try then,_ María thought. She clutched the hilt tightly and said, "_Dig, Zhen-Fenmuji!_"

Warmth enveloped her body, melting the snow sticking to her. Walls of rock and earth burst up around her and covered her like a cocoon. The inside glowed with the heat of molten magma, yet María knew not to be afraid. The magma seeped into her, filling her with its heat. She absorbed it, growing taller, her muscles expanding further. The familiar claws erupted from her fingers. Her clothes burned away, replaced by cooling magma, crystallizing across her body. Her hair grew out, thick and wild. María felt her hollow mask re-grow over her forehead. Her chest expanded outward, growing firmer and more prominent.

María's body saturated with power, she let out a wild cry and thrust her arms out. The stone cocoon exploded volcanically, the magma melting a good deal of snow around her. The cocoon and magma faded away almost immediately though. Confused voices spoke around her, asking what just happened. María smiled and pulled the hollow mask remnants from her forehead over her eyes. She saw through her old eyes once again, the heat signatures of everyone in the room showing through the blizzard.

_It's a start, but which one is which?_

She turned her head. She had to figure out who was who quickly; it was vital she made Niou end her blizzard. Standing together near her were a short figure and two tall ones. They were turned their heads about, clearly in anticipation of something. She guessed they were Hitsugaya, Kurosaki, and Kazama. At the other end of the room were three shapes, two very thin, the other somewhat wider. She guessed those were Hoshi, Ishida, and that weird man who came in with them.

That left Rangiku, that Ino'ue girl, and Niou. She turned around to the corner she last saw Rangiku and Ino'ue. There were two huddled shapes and one other shape standing close to them. That third shape wasn't there before…

María wasted no time. She started running over. "_Rangiku! Behind you!_"

She saw Rangiku shove Ino'ue away and bring her zanpakutou out. "_Growl, Haineko!_" The figure of Niou recoiled and leapt back. María couldn't see it, but she guessed the trail of ash narrowly missed Niou. Niou scuttled back, moving past Rangiku and making her way to Ino'ue.

María brought Zhen-Fenmuji up and charged at Niou. The woman was about to grab Ino'ue when María swung Zhen-Fenmuji horizontally, aiming for Niou's hand. Niou pulled back with astounding speed and skipped back. María went back for her, this time with the claws on her left hand outstretched. Her claws raked the air, narrowly missing the woman's chest.

"_Hetoshan!_" Niou threw her hands forward and unleashed a massive blast of dark energy. There was no time for María to react. She took the full brunt head-on. Pain lanced through every fiber of her body, even with her tough skin and armor. María cried out but held her ground. It would be over soon, she just had to withstand it. She could survive, and if she fell someone else would be hurt.

Then, as soon as it had started it stopped. Niou dropped her hands. María panted, relieved the pain was past, but she knew Niou still wasn't hurt at all. "You can't hide in the blizzard," she yelled over the howling wind. "I can see you."

"So I see," Niou snapped. "It doesn't matter. I just have to be more aggressive."

The blizzard suddenly stopped and the snow started falling to the floor. Everything was covering in snow. Niou was glaring sourly at her. "So you saw through Abutahi. That was just the first of Yakka Narakuhi's eight techniques."

"_Eight techniques?_" Ishida asked. He sounded astounded.

"That's right," Kazama said grimly. "Yakka Narakuhi has eight techniques to match the eight levels of Hell. It's the most powerful ice-based zanpakutou in history, but it has a huge disadvantage."

Kazama stepped forward, pointing her zanpakutou at Niou. "Yakka Narakuhi is slow-acting and it leaves you without a weapon. To defend yourself you must rely on Yakka Narakuhi's special abilities or your own skills. In addition, I'm familiar with Yakka Narakuhi! I know what to expect."

"It's only a small advantage," Niou said. "You still can't defend against it well. All you can do is tell these fools the eight different ways they can die. I'll make this next attack simple so you won't have to explain anything."

Niou threw her arms wide, fingers fanned out and said, "_Nirabutahi._" In the air around her long lances of ice appeared, until eight in total hovered menacingly over her.

"One for each of you, not counting Ino'ue," Niou said. The Nirabutahi lances arranged themselves to point at everyone in the room except for Ino'ue.

María smirked. "That will never harm me."

Niou glanced in her direction. "Care to test your theory?"

María pointed her spade at Niou. "Just try it!"

With a scowl, Niou launched the Nirabutahi lances in all directions.

Rangiku thrust Haineko out. "_Growl, Haineko!_" The living stream of ash snaked out intercept the Nirabutahi lances.

"_Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu!_" Ichigo released his bankai and slashed rapidly at the icy projectiles.

"_Hetofujaku!_" Uryuu drew back his bow, eager to show his new technique. "_Anheto ne Saiyu!_" He released the bowstring with a sharp twang, and a number of black arrows were fired off.

"_Ryanzuku rin'yan!_" Mion laced her fingers together and released a stream of small, fast-moving orbs of light.

María leapt into the fray, swinging Fenmuji. Their attacks shattered Nirabutahi's lances. Ichigo and María took out one each; the rest were destroyed by the efforts of Rangiku, Uryuu, and Mion.

"They did it!" Toushirou observed. He had hunkered down further back, away from the fray..

"They haven't done anything," Seia said dourly. She was hunkered down next to him. "Nirabutahi can't be exhausted in this kind of scenario. Tara will keep this up while the temperature drops and we either are killed by Nirabutahi or we freeze to death."

Sure enough, Niou simply created more lances and launched them in greater numbers at higher speeds. Ice sped blindingly through the air in all directions, shards exploding and coating the floor. Niou's attacks weren't hurting her enemies, but they weren't any closer to defeating her.

Toushirou frowned deeply. Niou's Yakka Narakuhi put him at a severe disadvantage. With everything frozen he couldn't use any water to replenish Daiguren Hyourinmaru. He would have only a limited amount of time before the bankai deactivated. In addition, he would be wide open; Niou would shoot him full of lances as soon as he got into the air.

"This is hopeless," he said. "I need to her to switch to a different technique."

"What can you do?" Seia asked.

"I need water for my bankai," Toushirou answered. "I can _create_ water myself, but the technique is untested and I don't want to risk it here. It may end up killing everyone around me."

"Water, huh?" Seia confirmed.

Across the room, Mayuri was fuming. The lack of progress with defeating Niou was frustrating, but he had to hold his temper in check; he wouldn't dream of simply killing Niou. No, he was going to take her alive and carefully extract every secret she had. He had been sure to do a little preparing before hand though; not nearly as much as usual, but if all went well it would be enough…

"You two!" he snapped at Uryuu and Mion. "Move to each corner on this side and continue targeting Niou's projectiles! Whatever happens she must not die, so don't even think of attacking her!"

"What are you planning?" Uryuu yelled back just as he obliterated another salvo.

"Just do it!" Mayuri snarled.

"God damn it," Mion muttered under her breath. She began to scoot toward the right corner of their side of the room, stopping every once in a while fire off more ryanzuku rin'yan. Uryuu did the same, making his way over to the left corner.

Niou spun crazily in the room's center, turning every direction to launch more ice lances. Every time she launched one another appeared immediately above her, ready for use. Ichigo was getting worn out by the never-ending tide. He wanted to use getsuga tenshou, but if he did then the hollow might re-emerge.

On his next swing Tensa Zangetsu glanced off the side of one lance. Ichigo miscalculated his blow, and as he recovered a lanced slammed into his shoulder and another into his right side. An awful pain, simultaneously burning hot and freezing cold, coursed along his nerves. He staggered and nearly dropped Tensa Zangetsu, but he kept his grip. He dropped to a knee but managed to support himself on his zanpakutou. It was a motion that saved his life; a second after he dropped a lance flew through were his head used to be. He got to his feet in time to avoid another three lances. A few more fits like that though and he would be in serious trouble. He had survived worse, but if he were to be injured enough then he would be lanced to death while unable to move.

María growled. She was sick of being on the defensive. It was time to change that. She sliced through another ice lance before pointing her hand at Niou. Her yellow cero blast fired from her hand in a wide arc, destroying the entire wave of ice lances. Niou sneered and stopped firing long enough to dodge to the left.

Mayuri saw his chance. It had worked even better than he had anticipated. He grinned, and bellowed, "_Bankai: Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou!_"

Red smoke squirted from his sheath, flowing up and forming into the familiar, grotesque shape of Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou. It roared and headed toward Niou while she dodged María's cero.

"_What the fuck?_" Mion yelled upon seeing the hideous creature.

"Bankai," Uryuu answered. "A shinigami's ultimate power."

"That _thing's_his bankai?" Seia asked Toushirou.

"Indeed," he answered. "If it reached Niou then the battle's over."

María was stopped in her tracks by the sight of the giant Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou. "So that's a bankai?" she asked.

Niou turned around to find the horrible caterpillar-like monster coming down upon her, spewing noxious gases as it went. She smiled grimly.

"_Atadahi,_" she said.

A massive sharpened stake of ice erupted from the ground directly beneath Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou's malformed head. It grew up swiftly, skewering the beast. Gases sprayed out everywhere, washing over Niou.

María felt the briefest of vibrations beneath her feet. She threw herself back immediately, just in time for another, smaller Atadahi stake to spring up and graze her leg. It would've impaled her if her reaction had been any slower. Blood flowed down her leg from her would. It was superficial, but it still terrified María. If the stake was sharp enough to cut through even her skin then she had to be extremely careful.

More stakes sprang up. Ichigo, Rangiku, Uryuu, Mayuri, and Mion dodged away, running from the pursuing spikes. A wall of spikes rose up before Orihime, Toushirou, and Seia, separating them from the rest. Another wall rose up around Niou herself. Dozens of spikes rose up under Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou, stabbing into its replusively soft flesh. In moments the spikes succeeded in ripping it apart. It melted to red mist and returned to Mayuri's sheath.

"It's useless, Niou!" he laughed, even as he dodged the icy spikes. "You have been saturated by Ashisogi Jizou's toxins!"

"I know," came Niou's voice. "What a pathetic attempt at killing me. My body's beyond that now."

"What?"

The spikes hiding Niou from Mayuri lowered. "I am superior to a mere shinigami," Niou said. "My body has been enhanced far beyond what it normally would be."

"My toxins are—Damn you!" Mayuri stammered. "We'll see about that! _Rip, Ashisogi Jizou!_"

His zanpakutou transformed and he charged at Niou. A spike appeared in front of him at an angle from the floor, rushing up to meet him. Mayuri dodged—only for another spike to spear him through his back. Blood sprayed from his mouth in a stream. He squirmed a little, then went still, his zanpakutou reverting back to its sealed form. It dropped from his limp hand. Niou watched with mild disgust, the raised her spike wall again.

"She just killed that guy!" Mion said.

"Maybe," Uryuu said. "I've seen that bastard survive worse."

The spikes stopped appearing. The room fell quiet.

"It's sickening," said Niou, her voice devoid of emotion. "It's just so sickening."

The wall of spikes separating her from Orihime, Rangiku, Ichigo, María, Seia, and Toushirou lowered back into the floor. Niou stepped out, her face blank.

"Orihime Ino'ue."

Orihime stiffened at the cold tone Niou used.

"You turned Seia against me," she said, anger creeping into her voice. "You helped derail my goals. You forced me to kill my beloved."

She stepped forward some more. He face suddenly went from totally emotionless to a mask of unbridled fury. "And now, because of you, I'm being forced to kill my beloved a _second_ time."

Orihime winced at the pure, venomous hate directed toward her in Niou's voice.

Niou pointed accusingly, her finger trembling. "This…this is all _your_fault!" she yelled. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, then froze and broke off. "If it weren't for you then Seia would still be at my side!"

"_Enough!_"

Seia rose from her spot, glaring dangerously at Niou. "It isn't Orihime's fault! It's _your_ fault for trying to manipulate her!" Seia's lip trembled. "If you'd just left her alone, none of this would've happened!"

Niou looked at her. "Seia…"

"This has gone too far, Tara!" Seia said. "You've been warped far beyond the woman I fell in love with! Leave Orihime alone! I hate even thinking of hurting you, but I'll never let you take Orihime away!"

"'Warped'?" Tara chuckled bitterly. "I was changed when Kagemaru bit me. Once I began eating other shinigami my path was set and there was no going back. A path of darkness and fear given to me by the Queen of Dreams; I couldn't bear to walk that path alone, so I asked you and Suzuko to join me. You accepted, and partook of the same feast of blood I did."

Seia narrowed her eyes. "And?"

"If I'm warped then so are you! You willingly murdered and ate other souls! You accepted orders from both me and the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns that involved morally reprehensible acts without a second thought! You didn't bat an eye at letting Resu rampage through Karakura Town with a ravenous hya'an'uuto horde! You're as tainted as I am, yet you try to pretend you're oh so _compassionate_and caring because that's what Ino'ue wants to see in you. It's a lie and you know it, Seia! You're just bring selfish and hypocritical!"

Seia trembled, her golden eyes wide with disbelief. "No," she whispered. "That isn't—I'm not—"

"_Stop it!_" Orihime cried. "Stop it, Miss Niou! If you really loved Seia then you wouldn't be hurting her like this! Please, let her go! It's me you want after all."

"If I loved her…" Niou repeated. She laughed humorlessly. "Oh, Ino'ue, I am going to kill her _because_I love her. I love Seia far too much to let the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns deal with her. It's a mercy if I kill her quickly and with dignity than if she returned to Remuran to face centuries of suffering."

Orihime glared. "I see. Now I know for sure that the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns are terrible people and not to be trusted. Seia was right in turning against them."

"It doesn't matter what you think," Niou said. "I will take you to Emperor Rubihatsu whether you want to or not and you will serve him to the end of your days in misery. He has quite an eye for attractive girls; you will make an excellent plaything for his appetites. It's what you deserve for making me kill Seia again!"

"_Tara!_" Seia drew her zanpakutou.

Niou looked at Seia. "Yes, Seia. I hate having to do this to you. But if I have to then it would be better if you died as the brave warrior you truly are. Fight me, Seia."

Seia hesitated. Her flickered over to the deminutive Captain Hitsugaya, still taking cover. She realized she was in a position to help him.

Niou threw her arms wide. "What are you waiting for?" she yelled. "Release your bankai! Brush aside these insects and show your true power! If you don't..._Kakabahi._"

Immediately, clawed hands erupted from the floor of the center of the room. Thin, skelletal forms emerged from the ice, with clawed hands and wicked demonic faces. More than a dozen appeared and stood silently, assembled in the center.

Tara suddenly pointed past Seia and at Orihime. "_Kokobahi._"

"_No!_" Seia yelled. She tried to move between Tara and Orihime, but it was too late. A blue-white beam leapt from Tara's right hand. It brushed Seia's left shoulder and upper arm. The entire arm went numb as ice formed all over it. The beam continued on and struck Orihime's feet. The girl screamed as her feet were frozen solid, rooting her where she stood. She struggled to free herself but it was no use.

"Frozen denizens of Naraka!" Tara yelled. At the sound of her voice the ice creatures looked up receptively. "March over to the girl with the frozen feet and scratch her up a bit. Break a leg or an arm, rake her pretty face, pull out her hair. Just don't let her die. Kill everyone who gets in the way."

The beasts began to march toward Orihime's corner of the room. "Damn you, bitch!" Ichigo cried as he lunged into the fray. The monsters clawed and tore at him as he swung his mighty bankai around. He was joined by Rangiku, Uryuu, María, and Mion. Rangiku released Haineko while Uryuu and Mion attacked from a distance.

"If you kill me before my soldiers reach Ino'ue then you can all go free," Tara said evenly. "It's the only way."

"I suppose it can't be helped, Tara." Seia whispered acidly. "_Bankai: Hakkou Shoujahitsumetsu._"

Seia's sheathed zanpakutou exploded inside the sheathe, disolving into bright white light. The room lit up from the light pouring from her sheathe. It flowed out like liquid, wrapping around Seia's body. A pure white coat appeared over Seia's robe. A halo of light glowed around her, undulating and moving like a living creature. Seia grimly held out her hands and a pair of glowing white shafts of light appeared in them. The light around her compressed, sticking closely to her body. An intense heat radiated from her, but Seia didn't feel it; she felt nothing at all aside from a desire to protect Orihime. Her love for Tara no longer mattered.

"So that form?" Tara asked. "Not very effecient, but if you insist. _Ubarahi._"

A single pure white katana sculpted from ice sprang up from the floor and leapt into Tara's hands. The hilt resembled a closed white lotus. She outstretched another hand and an identical katana rose up for her to grab. She entered a stance with her swords, eyes glinting. Seia stood her ground. With Ubarahi, Tara could generate an endless number of katana from the ice, but they were not especially powerful. At her feet, ice began to melt from the heat she was generating.

Tara suddenly rushed at her, her katana poised to strike. Seia blocked with her own blades of light and countered.

Orihime watched Seia and Tara fight. In spite of her prediciment, Orihime thought Seia's bankai was beautiful; Seia was like an angel, surrounded by that warm glow.

Ichigo hacked and slashed at the ice creatures. They were strong, fearless, and didn't respond to pain at all; he could remove their limbs and they continued crawling toward him. Their claws raked his face, arms, and chest, leaving bloody grooves all over him. Rangiku was faring a bit better, being able to keep out of reach with Haineko. María waded in without a thought, swinging her spade with deadly pricision. Mion and Uryuu hung back, firing into the crowd. As much as Ichigo was getting hurt, Tensa Zangetsu was the most effective weapon against the Naraka denizens with its brute power. Haineko and Zhen-Fenmuji were made to attack flesh, not animated ice. Uryuu and Mion could attack safely but as the creatures had no real atanomy their attacks were of limited value.

"Damn it! This isn't working!" Mion swore. Before Uryuu could advise against it, she charged toward the Naraka beasts and brought her hands together. A white orb of reiryoku appeared in her hands and she thrust it directly into the chest of the closest ice creature. The orb exploded brilliantly, obliterating the entire upper body of the thing. From the explosion coutless tiny orbs of light launched outward in a wide arc, the force of which knocked about five creatures off their feet and onto their backs.

"Hey, great job!" Rangiku chirped.

For every creature felled though, another would rise up from the ice and replace its fallen bretheren.

"They just...keep...coming..." Ichigo panted. His injuries were beginning to take a toll on him.

"Ayame! Shun'ou!" Orihime yelled. "_Souten Kisshun, I reject!_" Ayame and Shun'ou flew out from her hair pins to Ichigo. They surrounded him with their golden glow and began to reverse his wounds.

"Thank you, Ino'ue!" he called, and resumed his battle.

Toushirou watched Seia and Tara fight. He had noticed that while Tara would flip about acrobatically, Seia stayed rooted where she stood, not pursuing her opponent. He frowned, wondering why that was. The floor where Seia stood shined from her halo, but it seemed different from the way the light reflected off of ice. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see what she was standing in.

"A puddle?" he asked himself. He looked more carefully. Slowly but surely, the ice around Seia's feet was melting. Toushirou could feel the heat she was giving from from where he stood. He realized she was doing that on purpose. He smiled slightly.

"It isn't much, but I'll see what I can do. Thank you, ex-Captain."

Tara hammered mercilessly at Seia, but every time her katana touched Seia's light blades the katana would chip and melt a little. She would discard these and create new swords from the ice.

"I see," Tara said. She skipped back out of Seia's reach. "You refuse to fight me directly. You just have it so that I can't attack you well. Seia, you have to hate me if you want to defeat me."

"I can't hate you," Seia said. "I can punish you, but I'll never hate you. "

"We need to finish this," Tara replied.

"Yes, we do. Take it to the next level, Tara."

"_Hadomahi._"

The ice around them cracked. The ice around exactly half of the room began to melt. It peeled off the walls, floor, and ceiling, disolving into a runny blue-white mass. The mass of strange water flowed to meet Tara, condensing itself into a long shape in her hand. A shining white katana appeared from the melted ice, a cold blue light eminating from the blade. Its handle was like a lotus blossom half way opened. The only parts of the room left frozen were the center, around Tara and Seia. The rest of the room was now damp, droplets of water falling from the wet ceiling.

"You know your heat won't be enough to protect you from this," Tara said.

Seia nodded, but kept her zanpakutou's form going.

* * *

Rukia heard crashing all around her. It sounded like the building was falling apart. What was going on?

She got her answer in the form of a hollow smashing through the wall in front of her. It roared loudly, but Rukia neatly sliced its head in half with Sode no Shirayuki.

"Damn, we have to get out of here," she muttered as the beast disintigrated. She heard the cries of more hollows in the distance, with more joining into the eerie chorus. All of the reiatsu must've been attracting the hollows. Rukia didn't want to think about the possibility of menos grandes coming along to join in.

* * *

It had been brutally swift, but the armored heipomian was utterly defeated.

"Come out Isane; it's over," Captain Unohana said gently.

Isane walked to her side. "Yes, you finished that very quickly," she said.

"No," the beautiful captain said. "I mean the war itself. I believe it is over."

"What?" Isane asked.

"Look around," Captain Unohana instructed. "Do you sense anything unusual?"

Isane frowned and glanced around. She saw some ryoka soldiers running down the streets, but in the opposite direction they were previously headed; instead of going deeper into Seireitei they seemed to be trying to get out. The loud shots and explosions that cracked through the air were rarer now.

Isane's eyes widened. "They're...they're retreating!"

"I do believe so," Captain Unohana said.

"But why? They seemed to be performing well against us."

"We won't know unless we aquire some prisonors and ask them," the captain said.

* * *

Kenpachi Zaraki seldom got to have a truly fun fight, given his overwhelming power and strength. He was always hoping that someone, somewhere, would be able to fight on his level.

Was Field Marshal Fuisa Dehatsu that person? Kenpachi had mixed thoughts on that. On one hand, the little blond guy had a lot of strength hidden in that weak-looking body of his. He was holding up like few people had ever done against him. It was pretty exciting actually. On the other hand, Dehatsu had a lot of annoying, pansy-ass gimicks. He would run around shooting stupid little beams and stuff at him. Why couldn't he just stand and fight? Kenpachi could feel Dehatsu had the strength for it.

A knife imbedded itself in his massive shoulder. Kenpachi barely felt it. "I'm getting bored here," he called. "Don't make me come look for you."

Dehatsu stepped out from behind a wall with a hole blown through it. Some throwing daggers dangled from his gloved hands. "You're kinda annoying," Dehatsu said to him. "Most people would be dead right now, but not you! I should be out there fighting to the center of your lovely city, but you keep blocking my path."

Kenpachi grinned. "Because you're just too much fun to leave alone," he said.

Dehatsu suddenly flung all of his daggers at him. Kenpachi merely raised his arm before his face, the daggers stabbing his arm or bouncing harmlessly off her zanpakutou. He waited to see if anything else would happen, but nothing did.

"Hey, is that all?" Kenpachi asked.

"Yes, actually," Dehatsu said. He turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. "_Adios, amigo mío._" He waved is hand in the air a bit.

Kenpachi was dismayed. The fight couldn't end, not like that! "Hey, what're you doing? Get back here!"

"I'm retreating, what does it look like?" Dehatsu answered. "I just got a call from my master. War's over. You won. I'm going home."

"Oh no you don't!" Kenpachi snarled. He charged at the smaller man, his zanpakutou raised high in the air. He swung with all his might at the little man.

"_Gaigai._" Dehatsu casually ducked beneath the huge blade with insulting indifference and vanished through a black hole. The hole vanished in a second.

"Shit," Kenpachi swore. "I really wanted that to go on a little longer."

* * *

Pasatsu Hotsuyoku crept fearfully through the halls of Anheisi. He had tried to order Lady Niou to retreat but she ignored all his calls. He still had faith in her—he had to, given that she was a living incarnation of Rireishi. He hoped she would hurry up and finish her battle though. Anheisi was vulnerable to hollow attacks and Pasatsu was unwilling to meet any that weren't safely caged up. He could hear them coming and their howls made him cringe.

He turned a corner. Only a little bit further to the gate room and he would be free. Every time the gate was operated though hollows from all over Hueco Mundo sensed it and came flocking over. In the past Anheisi was well-defended and could repel the hollows with little effort. It was just him and Lady Niou now though. Hopefully Field Marshall Dehatsu and the black ops would return soon and recover Prince Resu.

Pasatsu scuttled into the gate room and hit the door controls. The thick metal doors slid shut, offering some protection. He went to the gate controls and began to input the codes.

* * *

Even after Tara had melted most of the ice, Orihime was still frozen in place and the ice monsters still appeared. They had to walk further from the smaller frozen area in the center, but otherwise they were undaunted. Seia was fighting much harder against Tara's enhanced katana; it deflected her beams of light with ease. Seia knew she was in trouble. Hakka Narakuhi's two final skills were extremely potent.

Tara swung her blade in a wide arc, and a barrage of sharp ice crystals were launched out. Seia's dodged as best as she could, but some found their mark. She hissed with pain and shards found their way to her right thigh and left forearm. Her white coat became stained with blood. It was still better than being struck by the blade itself; Tara could slice through iron with Hadomahi in effect. She would be doomed if a single swing landed.

Seia blocked and countered as best as she could with her shafts of light. Tara suddenly launched a vicious kick aimed at her legs. Seia jumped up to avoid it, but Tara landed gracefully on the leg she just kicked with and made a swinging kick with her other leg straight into Seia's injured thigh. Pain exploded through her leg and the ice blade was driven deeper into her. She fell off balance and tumbled to the floor. Tara was immediately on her, towering grimly above her.

"I'm sorry Seia," she said emotionlessly. She raised the icy katana up, the tip pointing downward at Seia's chest.

The final blow never came. Tara's arm and sword were covered in ice before either of them knew what was happening. Behind Tara rose Captain Hitsugaya, broad wings of ice growing from his back.

"It took a while, but I got all the water I needed," he said. "Thank you, Kazama."

Seia smiled back at him. "Your welcome."

Tara looked over her shoulder, enraged. "You...this isn't your fight!"

"It is now," Toushirou said. Seia scrambled away from the two and squeezed through two large pillars of that had just appeared.

Toushirou pointed his zanpakutou at Tara, turning the blade at an angle. "_Sen'nen Hyourou._"

The pillars all slamed forward crushingly, imprisoning Tara in the center. It formed a mountain of ice in the center of the room.

"Is it over?" Orihime asked.

As if in response, a blade stabbed through the side of Sen'nen Hyourou's mountain. Toushirou stared in shock. "Impossible! She can't really be able to move in there!"

Chunks of ice exploded from the sides, and Tara tore herself partially free. She glared hatefully at Toushirou, then brought her katana back up.

"_Makahadomahi,_" she hissed.

"No!" Seia cried, but it was too late. All the remaining ice Hakka Narakuhi had created disolved and flowed to Tara's katana. Even the ice creatures and Orihime's icy bonds melted and joined the rest. Tara and her katana glowed a bright light-blue. Her reiatsu exploded outward, demolishing Toushirou's prison of ice. She stepped free and raised her new katana, which had a hilt now resembling a fully-opened white lotus blossom.

Seia slumped down. If that Sen'nen Hourou was Hitsugaya's best ability then it was all over. She had once seen Tara obliterate more than a dozen menos grandes at once in a single attack with Makahadomahi. As far as she knew, only Yamamoto himself would stand a chance against it. She didn't have nearly as much faith in the childlike captain with her.

Wordlessly, Tara flicked her katana in Toushirou's direction. A vast blue cresent of reiryoku was expelled from the blade. Toushirou's wings of ice shattered immediately. With a cry he was hurled straight into the wall by the door. He colapsed without a sound.

Ichigo and María rushed in to attack. With her free hand Tara slammed a fist deep into Ichigo's gut. His eyes were wide with shock and a jet of blood expelled from his mouth. She interceped María's attack with her katana. Just touching the katana caused ice to form all over the brave heipomian's body.

"_Hetoshan._" A blast of dark energy imapcted both incapacitated fighters and flung them into the wall to join Toushirou.

Rangiku swung her ash to grab the katana away from Tara. The ash turned to ice the moment it touched the blade. Tara retaliated with an andan. The black sphere hit Rangiku in the middle, knocking her back and bringing her to her knees.

"Damn you!" Mion cried. "_Sandan Rin'yan!_"

Uryuu brought Hetofujaku up. "_Anheto ne Saiyu!_"

Tara swung her blade again. The reiryoku crescent swept through the air and intercepted all of their attacks, clearing the air. The crescent crashed above the dumbstruck Uryuu and Mion.

"Up against the wall," Tara ordered coldly.

The two numbly walked over to where Ichigo, Toushirou, Rangiku, and María laid injured.

Tara walked over to the cringing Seia and yanked her to her feet. With the enhanced strength the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns had granted her, Seia was pulled along effortlessly. She flung her former lover into the group gathered at the wall across from her. That done she stepped back to the middle of the room. In the far corner, Orihime shivered helplessly.

Tara glanced over to Orihime. "Stay where you are, Ino'ue." She turned her attention back to the people against the wall. She lifted her katana up and slowly pointed at the group. It began to glow brighter and brighter.

Seia sagged in defeat. There would be no surviving the next blow. She closed her eyes. "Good bye, Tara. Good bye, Orihime." she said, tears falling from her eyes.

Rangiku squated painfully beside María and squeezed her hand. "Think this is it," Rangiku said softly. Somehow, she didn't feel afraid, just sad. "I'm glad I met you and fell in love, María."

She looked to Toushirou and smiled. "Captain, it's been a pleasure."

"Matsumoto..." her captain replied. He looked wary and beaten.

"I love you, Rangiku," María whispered to her. Tears were running down her face.

"No..." Mion said. "No! _No!_I don't wanna die!" She sobbed loudly, covering her eyes. Her tough appearence was gone altogether. "Françoise! I'm sorry I left you!" She grabbed Uryuu's arms and buried her face into his shoulder. Uryuu remained silent, too bewhildered to say anything to the panicked girl.

"Shit," Ichigo said. "How did you get to be so strong?" He tried so stand, to bring Tensa Zangetsu up and attack, but he coughed up blood and fell back down. He clutched his injured stomach, every breath now painful.

The glow around Tara's katana grew brighter and brighter. Cracks formed all over it. The sword shattered in her hands. A second passed, then something exploded from the shattered katana. An icy wind howled loudly. The group against the wall found themselves facing an oncoming wall of ice. All of the icy power created by Hakka Narakuhi was unleashed in a single attack, an entire glacier. Everyone braced for the end.

"_No!_" a voice called. Seia opened her eyes to see Orihime had run from her spot to meet the glacier first.

"_Orihime! Stop! You'll die too!_" Seia called.

"I won't let you die!" Orihime cried back. "_Santen Kesshun, I reject!_"

The spirits of Orihime's hair pins flew out and errected a colossal golden barrier. The glacier struck it and pushed against Orihime's shield. Orihime strained but didn't fall.

"_You stupid little whore!_" Tara's voice called. "I told you not to move! Now you'll die too!"

"I wont let you hurt the ones I care about!" Orihime yelled. "Seia, Kurosaki, Ishida, Rangiku, Toushirou, Susana, and Hoshi...they're my friends, the ones I treasure most! It's my turn to protect them!"

"Fine! I just don't care any more!" Tara shreiked histerically. "Just _die!_"

Orihime poured all the the strength she had into Santen Kesshun. The golden shield cracked around the edges, but held up. The young girl pushed ahead, bit by bit. She wouldn't let any one die, not after they had all been through together. The injustice of Sousuke Aizen's deeds still needed to be corrected. She had only known Seia briefly; there was still so much to do with her. There was still so much she wanted to do with Kurosaki and Tatsuki. What would happen if she failed? She would never see any of them again, and what would Niou do to the rest of the world? Orihime couldn't let that happen. The weight was crushing, figuratively and literally. She felt like she was about to pass out.

_Seia...I admitted my love to you, the first person I did such a thing with. I made love to you, had my first sexual experience with you...I love you, Seia! I love you, and I want to protect you!_

Orihime took a step forward, then another. The glacier seemed to retreat, just slightly.

"I love you, Seia..."

The glacier slid back slowly, Santen Kesshun repulsing it.

"No," said Tara. "It can't be...you can't possibly be pushing Hakka Narakuhi back!"

The glacier cracked and rumbled. Cold air hissed from the cracks. Another push from Orihime.

The glacier exploded violently.

Orihime stood strong. She just needed to keep up Santen Kesshun a little more.

The walls of the room were torn apart. The ceiling caved in at several places. Anheisi shook to its foundations. Some of the remaining heipomian, invading hollows, and returning soldiers were crushed beneath the rubble.

Time passed, and eventually all was still again. Orihime's shield colapsed and she fell to her knees, exhausted. Opposite her was Tara, also on her knees, a regular zanpakutou lying on the floor beside her. Blood was oozing from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

"What is this?" Tara asked weakly. "Something's wrong...I don't feel right..."

A familiar, ghoulish laughter filled the room. "_What's wrong? Could it be that your body is not so perfect after all?_"

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi!" Uryuu exclaimed. The people behind Orihime were sitting up, amazed to be alive.

"You saved us, Orihime!" Seia laughed, happy to be alive. Her expression turned serious when she saw Tara. "Wait, what happened to Tara?"

"_Oh, your immune system held out much longer than usual, but in the end nothing could withstand my poisons!_" Kurotsuchi laughed from where ever he was. Orihime noticed the despicible man was no where to be seen; his body was gone completely. "_Don't worry, you won't die; how can I let you? I admire you too much._"

"She's not gonna die?" Mion demanded. Her face grew livid. "That twisted bitch just tried to kill us all! I say cut her head off right now!"

Seia resealed her bankai and got up. "No," she said. "We are keeping her alive, and I'll kill anyone who tries to tries to stop me."

"You really love her that much, even after all she's done?" Orihime asked.

"I love her still, but there is something more important going on," Seia answer. "She has to live because—"

The hollows swarmed in through the broken walls. They ran, flapped, and hopped over to the fallen ex-shinigami captain, sinking their teeth into her. Tara screamed, but her body failed to respond properly. She fell over, feebly reaching for her zanpakutou.

"_Tara!_" Seia screamed. She ran forward, slashing wildly with the sealed Shoujahitsumetsu

"No...I'm the divine avatar of Rireishi, the Queen of Dreams..." Tara gasped. "It can't end...like...this...Seia..."

Seia slashed another mindless hollow out of her path and reached for Tara's outstretched hand. Their fingers met. Suddenly a hollow's heavy jaws clamped down on Tara's arm, severing it completely. Her blood splashed out, splattering on Seia's face. She briefly glimpsed Tara's face, seeing her eyes no longer had life in them. Tara Niou, the woman she had loved so dearly for many years, was dead. The feasting hollows blocked out any further view of the grisly sight.

"Tara...no..." Seia stared helplessly, still reaching for her lover's hand even though it wasn't there any more.

A hollow unable to reach Tara landed beside Seia and suck its teeth into her shoulder. The sudden pain jolted her back to reality. She screamed and swung at the monster, but it was out of reach and she was weakened. Another zanpakutou flashed, and the hollow vaporized. Seia blinked, confused.

"C'mon!" Rukia yelled. She pulled Seia to her feet and lead her away from the ravenous hollows. Chad and Renji were clearing a way through the beasts and helping the others get to their feet.

"_No!_" Kurotsuchi wailed. "_I must have her! I was so close!_"

"You'll leave too if you want to live!" Uryuu yelled.

The group made its way out of the throne room. The maze-like fortress was colapsing, leaving holes in walls and rubble blocking off passages. They ran down one passage. Orihime looked to her left as they ran. She briefly saw into another room where a huge vortex hung in the air inside a golden ring. Standing in front of it was that blond man, the field marshal. He was supporting something small, beaten, and bloody...

The small thing turned around at the sound of her footsteps. It was only a second, but she recognized with shock the crimson, baleful eye of Prince Resu. A single, brief hate-filled glance, then he was gone.

Orihime felt dizzy. The whole ordeal of everything that had happened that day caught up to her in an instant. She closed her eyes and pitched into an endless darkness.

* * *

Orihime opened her eyes. A bright light was shining above her. She was laying on something soft, and something similarly soft was covering her. It felt like a futon. She head voices.

She sat up and blinked. Looking to her right, she found that Kurosaki was asleep in a futon next to her. Ishida, Hoshi, Rangiku, and Susana were sleeping too.

_But where's Seia!?_Orihime got out of her futon and almost immediately some shinigami tried to push her back down. "Wait, you need to rest!" one said.

"You guys were exhausted and hurt!" the other insisted.

"Seia!" Orihime demanded. "Where's Seia?"

"Who?" one of the shinigami asked.

"Seia Kazama. She has very dark skin," Orihime described. "Have you seen anyone like that?"

"Yeah, actually. She ran out as soon as she woke up, screaming for someone named 'Suzuko'," one man said.

A sound of loud commotion came from beyond the door. "_Where is she!? Suzuko!_"

"That's her!" Orihime pushed past the two men and ran into the other room. Seia was standing in the center of the room, Shoujahitsumetsu drawn. Several shinigami surrounded her but kept their distance.

"Seia, what are you doing?!" asked Orihime, horrified. She didn't want Seia to get in trouble right after coming to Soul Society.

"I'm afraid that from the reports of Captain Suifeng, a shinigami woman in the invading force matching the discription of this Suzuko was killed," a woman said.

Shoujahitsumetsu slid from Seia's hands and clattered to the floor. She slumped to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes. "No...Tara...Suzuko..."

She noticed Orihime in the doorway, and lunged toward her. Some of the shinigami tackled Seia first. She was forced to the floor, looking pleadingly up at Orihime, her eyes full of tears. "Orihime!" she cried, hysterical. "Orihime! You have to bring them back to life! You brought me to life, so do it for them! Please, I beg of you!"

Orihime winced and looked away. "I'm sorry Seia, but I need their bodies to do that. It's impossible for Miss Niou, but if someone can show me Miss Nouhara's remains I can help her."

"Captain Suifeng killed her," a woman said. "There's no body left!"

Seia's face went slack. Her struggles ceased and she began to sob softly. "It was all for nothing..." she moaned.

Restraints were placed around her wrists and she was hauled up. Orihime ran up to the people. "What are you doing!? Leave Seia alone!"

"This woman is dangerous!" a man said. "And she seems to know the enemy that attacked us! We have to take her in."

"No! Seia!" Orihime fought back, but she was pushed out of the way. Seia disapeared from sight.

* * *

Rangiku stretched out on her bed. It was good to be back home. A lot had happened since María had first appeared and started the whole mess. The an'uuto invasion had been quite damaging and a lot of good people had died trying to defend Seireitei. They were going to be in serious trouble if Aizen attacked them while Soul Society was still recovering. But that could wait; Rangiku didn't need to think about that particular issue. She was extremely grateful that Chad had noticed Orihime had fallen and had gone back to pick her up. When they had escaped Anheisi it collapsed entirely soon after. María had been able to open a garganta for them to get back to the Transitory World, just outside Kisuke's shop. Renji had called for help and they were all taken immediately to Seireitei. After Rangiku had woken up she heard that the invasion had been reversed and the enemy vanished entirerly. Seia had also been arrested, and because of crimes against Soul Society she was locked in a temporary prison. Rangiku heard that she would soon be moved to the Maggot's Nest. She had reportly gone catatonic though. Rangiku didn't know much about the woman, but she fought more than any of them against Tara Niou and had rescued Orihime, and as far as Rangiku was concerned that made Seia a heroine. Seia deserved better than being thrown into the Maggot's Nest; Rangiku swore to fight the decision as much as she could.

Orihime had also restored Uryuu to being human. Mion had protested a little, but Uryuu ultimately decided he would rather be human and Orihime was able to reverse the changes.

María jumped into bed next to her and kissed her neck. Rangiku turned and smiled at her. "Hey baby," she said. "Feel better?"

"Yeah," María answered. She snuggled closer to her. "I just needed some rest. At least we can relax now."

"Luckily everyone was too busy to notice your hollow spot," Rangiku said.

"They're gonna find out eventually," María sighed.

"And Toushirou and I are gonna fight to make sure you can stay with us," Rangiku answered with a determined gleam in her eye. "We'll get to that soon."

María buried her face into Rangiku's impressive cleavage. She made satisfied noises while doing so. Rangiku grinned and ran her hand through María's newly lengthed hair. She thought her short hair style had been cute, but she looked cooler with a long style.

María rubbed her body incessantly against Rangiku's. In moments the two had wordlessly slipped out of their clothes and began a session of love-making.

* * *

María got dressed and kissed Rangiku on the cheek. The taller woman had fallen asleep after their sex. That was fine by María; she wanted to enjoy the night my herself for a while.

She stepped out and inhaled the cool air. It felt good on her skin; the night was her natural element after all. The little scents and sounds were exciting to her.

María walked out to the garden on the headquarter's grounds and sat in the damp grass. She watched the full moon float in a cloudless sky and smiled. Maybe life would be a bit difficult in Seireitei. There would be people who definately wouldn't like that a hollow would be living among them. Living in a place where she would be exposed to the sun would be uncomfortable. All the hardships in the world would be barable if it meant living with Rangiku though. María truly loved her and wouldn't give her up for anything.

"So here you are."

María jumped at the sudden voice. She nearly cried out, but a firm hand clamped over her mouth.

"Don't scream, got it?" Seia Kazama whispered into her ear. "I need to talk to you."

María nodded. Kazama removed her hand. María turned around to face her former superior and glared at her.

"What is this? Rangiku told you were imprisioned!"

"I got out," Kazam answered. "It was only temporary until I was moved to the Maggot's Nest. I had to escape before that and find you. You aren't exactly hard to miss with that reiatsu of yours."

María sat back down in the grass, legs folded. "Okay, so what do you want?"

"We can't stay here," Kazam answered grimly. "Neither of us."

"What? If you think I'm leaving Rangiku you're mad."

"You don't understand," Kazam said. "If you _care_ for your friends you _will_leave this place and never return. We can't stay now that Tara Niou is dead."

Kazama's face was emotionless, but María saw her hands clench tightly when she mentioned the dead Niou. She frowned. "Look, I'm sorry your girlfriend died, but I'm not leaving Rangiku because of that."

"That's isn't what I'm talking about!" Kazama hissed angerly. "Tara was more than just an authority on Soul Society to the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns; she was a figure of _religious_importance, an incarnation of Rireishi. She was a symbol of Remuran's power and ambition. And now she's dead because of us. Indirectly, yes, but we are guilty of killing her in the eyes of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns regardless. Her death is a blow to Remuran's image of invincibility to the rest of the World of Darkness when it becomes apparent she's dead and it's an insult of monumental proportions that an incarnation of Rireishi was killed."

She suddenly grabbed María by her robe and pushed her face very close to María's. María fear for a second that Kazama would try to hurt her. "Don't you see?" Seia whispered. "The Ten Exquisite Sovereigns will return, this time without any subtlety. They will do whatever it takes to hunt us down and they will torture everyone they think we care for to get us to come out. They may destroy all of Soul Society if they think that's what it will take to kill us and avenge Tara. They will destroy everyone we care about, Susana, to drive us to despair. We _must_ leave Soul Society and the Transitory World forever!"

María's mind rebeled against what she was hearing. She didn't want to believe it; Kazama was just trying to get some kind of revenge for losing Niou and Nouhara, blaming her for it. Kazama just wanted to make her unhappy. But it all made sense to María. María had dimly known that Niou was quite important to the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns, but she never had learned what that importance was exactly.

"No!" María cried. "We don't have to leave! We just need to help Soul Society prepare for another invasion. It won't be hard!"

Kazama shook her head. "This small-scale invasion killed many shinigami. A _large_-scale invasion would decimate Soul Society. The captains would put up a good fight, but in the end even they would fall."

María's head dropped. She stared sightlessly at the grass. She didn't want to believe what Kazama was saying. She fought a justification, any justification, to stay without putting Rangiku in danger, but there was none to be found. She began to cry hot, angry tears.

"It's not _fair!_" she griped. "It's just not fucking fair! After all that I can't be with Rangiku ever again?"

"I know how you feel," Kazama saig gently. "I risked everything, even my love for Tara and Suzuko, to protect Orihime Ino'ue. And because of that, I lost everything; Tara, Suzuko, and now Orihime." She began to sob softly. "It's...funny...how things like that happen," she laughed bitterly. "It's it?"

"So what do we say?" María demanded. "'I love you but I gotta leave you forever to keep you safe'? Or do we just leave in the night and leave them to worry about us for the rest of their lives?"

After a long pause, Kazama admitted, "I don't know."

María wracked her brains, trying to come up with something. Her thoughts were all jumbled. She couldn't remember what she would say in case something important needed to be said.

Then it occured to her. She hated it and it made her sick just to consider it, but it was the only plan she had.

"I got an idea to make this less painful..."

* * *

Some time later, María crept back into Rangiku's room. Rangiku still slumbered peacefully. María watched her silently, choking back tears. "Rangiku?" she whispered.

There was no response.

"Rangiku, I just wanna say that you've given some meaning to my life. You freed me and I'll always owe you for that. You're the second woman I fell in love with, but you know that by now. I'll always love you, even though you won't always love me. It's better that way, or so Kazama says."

She shrugged and shook her head. "You know what? I think that's bullshit, and I know you would too if you could hear me. I can't be with you for now, Rangiku, and I won't be for a long time. But I promise I'll come back. I'll come back once Remuran is in ruins and all ten of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns are dead. Then we can be together again and not have to worry."

María began to walk out, but she turned around again for one last look at Rangiku. She returned to her side and kissed her cheek softly. "I love you, Rangiku."

* * *

It had been difficult, but Seia managed to track down where Orihime was. The 4th Division was keeping her temporarily. Seia snuck in and moved to Orihime's side. She was sleeping in a futon. It looked like she had been crying recently. It broke Seia's heart to see her like that. It broke her heart even more to say what she felt she needed to.

"Hello, Orihime," she began. "I...you mean so much to me. I gave up everything for you, and now I can't ever see you again."

Orihime slept on.

Seia frowned. "I suppose I blame you for losing Tara and Suzuko; if I hadn't fallen for you there would still be here. But I made my choice and helped you, and I wouldn't take that back. I love you, Orihime Ino'ue, now and forever. But you...you won't have to worry or be sad for me. Tara was right after all; I'm a terrible person who did terrible things, and I only want to atone for my sins because I want your approval. I'm no good for you, but it will all be okay in a few hours. Just forget about me, and find the one you love here and be happy."

Seia smiled even as the tears she had been holding back finally broke. "Because as long as you're happy, then that's all I truly need."

Seia began to leave once more. "Good bye, Orihime," she whispered tearfully. She failed to notice Orihime had begun crying anew herself.

"Seia, what's wrong?" she asked in her sleep.

* * *

"Do you have it?" Seia asked.

"Yes," María answered.

"Let's do this then."

"All right."

María pressed the button.

* * *

Rangiku opened her eyes. Another long, boring day of work. Chances were Toushirou would yell at her for something or another. But there was always drinking with Hisagi and Kyouraku to look forward to.

She got out of bed and stretched like a pampered cat. She got dressed and left her room. Toushirou was already waiting at the headquarters. "Good morning, Captain!" she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Matsumoto," he answered curtly.

Rangiku looked out the window. The sky was a brilliant blue and filled with puffy white clouds. It was a beautiful, clear day. It made her smile, despite the recent tragedy.

"To think all those hollows broke in and caused so much damage," Toushirou said. "I thought someone was taking precausions against such things from happening."

"At least it's a beautiful day out, Captain," Rangiku said. "Hey, you know, I had a really weird dream last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I dreamed I fell in love with a hollow or arrancar or something named Ma—Ma—Ma-something."

"That sounds pretty depraved. What was he like?"

"She, actually," Rangiku corrected. "It was a girl, and she was really spunky and cute."

"Matsumoto?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell me any more about your dreams. They're too weird."

"Aw, but I wanna tell you more."

"Why don't you take the day off instead?"

Rangiku brightened. "Really? You mean it Captain?"

Toushirou smiled a little. "You've been working hard lately, Matsumoto. I think you deserve a little break today."

She grinned and grabbed him in a tight hug. "You're the best, Captain!"

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled through her large breasts. He pushed himself away. "Go have some fun."

Rangiku skipped out, wondering what she would do. Her dream had been awfully real; she wanted to tell others about it.

* * *

Orihime awoke knowing something was wrong.

She got up, looking for Seia. It was weird because Orihime wasn't totally sure who Seia was. The name brought up images of a beautiful black woman with long hair and glasses, but Orihime couldn't remember how she knew such a person. It was maddening; Orihime was sure she knew Seia somehow. No one seemed to know when she asked around Soul Society though.

Orihime sat down on a bench, sad and confused. She didn't know who Seia was or why she wanted to find her; all she knew was that it was important she found her. She wanted to tell Seia something, but Orihime couldn't remember that either.

She told herself she just dreamed Seia up somehow.

She knew in her heart she was lying to herself.

* * *

"So the experimental kikanshinki worked," Urahara said.

"Yes," Seia said. "It worked perfectly."

"It only worked because of the power Miss Susana allocated to it," Urahara said. "I couldn't get it to work prior to you coming along."

"The heidushuijing increased my natural reiryoku a lot," María said.

"So what will you do now?" Tsukabishi asked.

"I need to close the gate," María answered. "I can do it with the heidushuijing's power inside me now. I have to close it so Remuran doesn't regroup and mount a new attack."

"We'll start new lives in the World of Darkness," Seia said. "That way the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns will ignore your world to focus on catching us."

Urahara nodded solemnly. "I see. Well, it really is too bad you had to erase the memorie of yourselves and the an'uuto, but it is for the best, I think."

"Your secret is safe with us," Tsukabishi said.

"I don't like having to keep this from everyone," said Shihouin. She was disguised as a cat. "I can't even tell anyone how I fought that big an'uuto."

"But Kagemaru just flew away, didn't he?" Seia asked. "You said he just took off in the middle of your fight."

"I still want to say I had a good fight," Shihouin said.

María stood up. "I think it's time to go now. What do you think?" she asked Seia.

"I suppose we have to leave some time," her companion sighed.

María smiled and bowed to the shop keeper. "Thank you, Urahara. It's not so bad knowing they don't have to remember us any more."

"Your welcome," Urahara responded. "Thank _you _for helping me test that little machine.

They group said their fairwells and parted ways. Tessai looked over to his friend. "Do you think we'll be seeing them again?" he asked.

Kisuke smiled as the two girl walked into the distance. "You know what, think we will be seeing them again, some day."

"I hope so."

"Me too."

* * *

_**The end**_

* * *

_**Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File **_

**María Susana's zanpakutou (upgraded)**

Name: Zhen-Fenmuji (真・墳墓姫 (ヂェン・フンムージー) _Jen-Funmuujii_, _lit_. True Grave Princess)

Fuhuo: Zhen-Fenmuji is activated by the command "dig" (掘れ _hore_). A cloud explodes around María, enveloping her completely. When the cloud dissipates, María's clothes have disappeared, replaced with an emerald crystalline armor gauntlets, shoulder pads, heavy boots, low-cut chest plate molded to match the anatomy it protects, and crotch protector. Talons grow from both hands and feet. María's hollow mask returns as a pair of black-tinted goggles that completely cover her eyes. Her hair grows out longer and wilder, and she becomes visibly taller, more muscular, and busty. Fenmuji becomes a Chinese monk's spade.

Abilities: Zhen-Fenmuji makes María's skin extremely difficult to penetrate, and the armored portions of her body are even harder to break through, although in the event it is broken through María can only regain it by sealing Fenmuji again and unsealing it. María's strength is significantly increased, and her speed is augmented by her enhanced leg muscles. The talons on María's left hand can be extended into scythe-like blades. Wielding Fenmuji in her right hand, María can slash with her left, blocking attacks and retaliating. María gains the ability to burrow through earth, creating tunnels.

Dilei Xushan (地雷虚閃 (ディーレイシューシャン) _Diirei Shuushan_, _lit_. Land Mine Hollow Flash): María places a hand on the ground and sends a yellow cero shooting through the ground in a line toward a target by tracking reiatsu. Upon reaching the designated target the cero explodes upwards. Even if the target is in the air, the explosion sends the cero up into the air to strike the target.

**Seia Kazama's zanpakutou**

Name: _Shoujahitsumetsu_ (生者必滅 (しょうじゃひつめつ), _lit._ All Life Must Perish)

Shikai: Shoujahitsumetsu's blade dissolves and replaces itself with a blade of bright white light with drastically increased cutting power. When shikai is activated a blinding burst of light is emitted, and only the user is immune. It is activated by the command "make them weep" (泣かせよ _nakaseyo_).

Bankai: Hakkou Shoujahitsumetsu (白光生者必滅 (はっこうしょうじゃひつめつ) _Hakkou Shoujahitsumetsu_, _lit_. White Light All Life Must Perish). Shoujahitsumetsu disolves into a flowing curtain of white light that Seia can control at will. She can create shafts of light to wield like swords and compress the light around herself to generate a great amount of heat. Activating bankai creates a white coat to appear over Seia's clothing.

**Tara Niou's zanpakutou**

Name: _Narakuhi_ (奈落妃 (ならくひ) _Narakuhi_, _lit._Queen of Naraka)

Shikai: Narakuhi's transforms into a long icicle-like lance. It is activated by the command "freeze to death" (凍え殺せ _kogoe korose_).

Shikai abilities: Narakuhi's blade overflows with freezing purple-black reiatsu, vastly increasing the cutting power and chilling whatever it touches. Whatever Narakuhi stabs is frozen in ice, and Tara can use the blunt handle of Narakuhi to shatter the frozen object.

Bankai: Hakkan Narakuhi (八寒奈落妃 (はっかんならくひ) _Hakkan Narakuhi_, _lit._Eight Frozen Queens of Naraka). Similar to Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Tara drops Narakuhi and it dissipates into the ground. This creates a localized black-purple tundra centered at Tara's location. The temperature drops dramatically but Tara feels only a refreshing breeze. The extreme cold slowly kills anyone else standing in the affected area, but Tara no longer is holding Narakuhi so she must rely on another weapon, kidou, or Hakkan Narakuhi's special abilities to protect herself.

Bankai abilities: Hakkan Narakuhi has eight special abilities. Tara can activate each technique by reciting its name, and only one may be active at a time. The techniques are as follows:

Abutahi (頞部陀妃 (あぶたひ) _Abutahi_, _lit_. Queen of Arbuda): A localized blizzard sweeps through the area, hiding Tara from view and hindering her enemies. The snow is saturated with Tara's reiatsu, making it exceedingly difficult to track her through the blizzard.

Nirabutahi (尼刺部陀妃 (にらぶたひ) _Nirabutahi_, _lit._Queen of Nirarbuta): Lances of ice are hurled at Tara's opponents.

Atadahi (頞听陀妃 (あただひ) _Atadahi_, _lit._Queen of Atata): Sharpened icicles sprout from the frozen ground to stab and skewer where Tara wills it.

Kakabahi (臛々婆妃 (かかばひ) _Kakabahi_, _lit._Queen of Hahava): Fierce monster warriors constructed from ice grow from the frozen waste and relentlessly attack anyone threatening Tara. Tara can instruct the ice monsters to perform other tasks if she wishes. Once active, ice monsters will continue to appear until Tara commands them to stop or if Narakuhi is resealed.

Kokobahi (虎々婆妃 (ここばひ) _Kokobahi_, _lit_. Queen of Huhuva): Tara fires a beam of freezing energy that entombs whoever it hits in ice.

Ubarahi (嗢鉢羅妃 (うばらひ) _Ubarahi_, _lit_. Queen of Utpala): Tara can generate katana made of ice with hilts that resemble closed lotuses.

Hadomahi (鉢特摩妃 (はどまひ) _Hadomahi_, _lit_. Queen of Padma): A single katana made from ice is formed by sacrificing exactly half of the ice created from activating Hakkan Narakuhi. The katana has a hilt resembling a lotus half-opened, and the blade can freeze whatever it strikes. Essentially, this is a strengthened version of Narakuhi's shikai.

Makahadomahi (摩訶鉢特摩妃 (まかはどまひ) _Makahadomahi_, _lit._Queen of Mahapadma): The entire frozen battlefield generated from activating Hakkan Narakuhi is compressed into a single katana made of ice with a hilt resembling a lotus in full bloom. Merely swinging the blade generates a small blizzard of sharpened ice shards in the direction she swung, and stabbing an opponent causes the compressed ice to explode outward in a burst that encases everything in its path in ice, shattering the katana and returning Narakuhi to its sealed state.

**Kagemaru**

Name: Kagemaru (影丸 (かげまる) _Kagemaru_)

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Hair color: None

Eye color: Green

Appearance: Kagemaru is a tall, muscular humanoid made of living darkness. It has broad bat-like wings, snaking tentacles growing from its head, and a whip-like tail. Kagemaru has no facial features save two pinpoints of green light and a wide mouth filled with countless needle-like teeth.

Attire: None

Personality: Kagemaru is silent at all times and has no discernable personality.

**Hetofujaku**

Hetofujaku (黒弧雀 (ヘトフジャク) _Hetofujaku_, _lit_. Black Bow Sparrow): A bow composed of dark energy for Uryuu to use while an an'uuto.

Anheto ne Saiyu (暗黒乃殺雨 (アンヘトネサイユ) _Anheto ne Saiyu_, _lit_. Killing Rain of Darkness): Uryuu fires a volley of up to one thousand black arrows composed of dark energy with Hetofujaku.

**Rin'yan**

Rin'yan (霊丸 (リンヤン) _Rin'yan_, _lit_. Ghost Sphere) is an an'uuto magic ability perfected by Mion Hoshi to fight hollows. It is yin magic compressed into a sphere designed to affect reishi that she releases from her fingertip.

Ryanzuku Rin'yan (連続霊丸 (リャンズクリンヤン) _Ryanzuku_ _Rin'yan_, _lit_. Continuous Ghost Sphere): A variation of rin'yan where Mion fires of a continuous barrage of rin'yan projectiles in a machine gun-like effect.

Sandan Rin'yan (霰弾霊丸 (サンダンリンヤン) _Sandan Rin'yan_, _lit_. Hailstone Bullet Ghost Sphere): Mion compresses a large amount of reiryoku and explosively discharges it over a short distance into hundreds of small projectiles.

* * *

_Author's note: So that was it, the end of the story. It is the first multi-chapter story in years that I have actually seen through to the very end, and it took more than a year to do so. I'm so proud! I am sorry for the off-page sex between Rangiku and María though; I had promised there would not be any more sex scenes and I wanted to stick to that. _

_The story went through many changes while I was writing. The ending was originally going to be much more tragic, with all the original characters of any importance dying. I decided I liked María too much for that though, and killing off lesbian characters is too common in stories, apparently._

_Seia surprised me the most. She was intended to be just a sinister advisor to Tara, but she became so much more. I wanted to give a bigger role to Orihime, and I thought, "Seia falls in love with Orihime". At first it was lust, not love—Seia was going to just want Orihime as a sexual plaything and still be very evil. I thought I would change it so that Seia did genuinely love Orihime, but in a twisted, obsessive way, manipulating Orihime to try and win her love. Even that was discarded though, and Seia became the conflicted anti-heroine she is in the finished product. Again, she to was originally intended to die at the end, killing herself out of despair for Tara and Suzuko, but I liked her too much too. You like her a lot too, right?_

_Well, the story sure seems set up for a sequel, and I do have many ideas for one. It all depends on the direction Tite Kubo take _Bleach_ in the future though. I also have to see how the current conflict ends. I will be working on various other story projects until then. Hopefully I will actually finish them like I did for _Creatures of the Night_. There are still a lot of questions to answer regarding this story and I am dying to answer them, like the nature of the "relic" the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns were after, what did they really want with Orihime, what was the deal between Mion and her old guardian, and more. _

_The story poses something of a question at the end: María vows to fight a hopeless battle so she can be with Rangiku again while Seia fully expects to never see Orihime again and just hopes Orihime will find happiness on her own. Which outlook do you think is better?_

_Oh, and I decided to go with Japanese honorifics in the future. Thank you for voting. Please read and review, as always. _


End file.
